Bad Moon Rising
by totalgeek13
Summary: AU. Sam and Dean are on a case after Nightmare when they meet another hunter. When they find out that she has information about their missing Dad, the boys have to make tough decisions on how to carry on with hunting
1. Prologue

**A/N- Hi this is my first fanfic so I am just trying to get an idea out of my head that I have had for awhile and have some fun with it. This story does not begin at S1:E1 like a lot of other fanfics. This one being between S1:E14 Nightmare and S1:E15 The Benders. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any episode parts of the story or the characters**

**A/N #2-As of 4/7/15 I am going back through and rewriting some of my chapters just to fix errors and add some little things, nothing major will change. I just realized some small errors that I made and little things I wanted to add. I will try to put an update date at the top of each chapter until I am all caught up.**

Off of I-90 at a shabby motel, Sam couldn't sleep again, Max was still weighing on his mind. It was the middle of the night, Dean was in the next bed snoring. Loudly. Sam browsed through page after page of news articles looking for their next job, anything to get them moving again. Anything to get his mind off of previous events. Before dawn he shoved his brother, who responded with a disgruntled moan.

"Dean, hey, I've found us another job. About two hours away in Wisconsin."

Dean moaned again, rubbing his eyes, "Dude, you realize it's not even five o'clock yet? Did you even sleep?"

Sam ignored him and returned to his computer screen, "No, but anyways, get this. Dodgeville, a small town a twelve year old boy goes missing and three days later is found near the state park, north of town."

Dean rolled his eyes and flopped back down on his pillow, "No offense Sammy, but that really doesn't sound like our kind of thing."

"I didn't think so at first either but four days later a twenty-one year old goes missing from her parent's house, no signs of forced entry, everything is still locked up. That was two nights ago."

Dean moved onto his side, interest peaked, "What are you thinking, why did you flag the boy?"

"I was digging and this same cycle happens every 31 years. First a 12 year old, then a 21 year old, followed by a 40 year old."

"Strange shit happens all the time Sammy that doesn't make it a hunt."

Sam shrugged, "I don't know, but we have gone on less."

"Alright. You win. Let's pack up and get going."

Dean and Sam packed their bags into the trunk of the black '67 Chevy Impala on top of the arsenal. And they drove, reaching Dodgeville before eight, parking in front of the police station. Before they could even get out of the Impala, four squad cars came screaming out of the station, sirens blaring. Sam looked at Dean, "How much do you want to bet that's the girl?"

"Dammit", was all Dean replied as he pulled the Impala after them to the Southeast corner of town. Sure enough, when they arrived they could see the covered body lying in the grass. They got out and approach the officer who was barking orders to get the crime scene closed off. When they got to the tall, lanky older officer, he turned to them, "How can I help you boys?"

Pulling out their badges Dean replied, "Morning, I'm Agent Angus and this is Agent Young from the FBI. Could you tell us what's going on here?"

"I'm Sheriff Anderson, neighbors called in the body about half an hour ago, the girl disappeared two, no, now three days ago. It's such a shame; she was an outstanding athlete, played basketball and softball for Wisconsin State. Nice girl, good student. No offense but you boys move awfully quick, considering we just found out about this ourselves."

It was Sam's turn to speak up," We actually came about the boy last week; it may match some other cases we still have open. This body's autopsy could confirm it."

The man furrowed his grey eyebrows, "Do you boys think it's a serial killer?"

Dean jumped in, "We can't disclose any information until we are positive that these are connected."

Anderson nodded, "Well you boys let me know if I…"

"Sheriff Anderson! Sheriff…" A woman's voice rang out.

The Sheriff shook his head, annoyed, "Oh, for the love of God… Yes Miss Ulrich? What can I do for your today?"

Dean and Sam turned around; a young woman with unruly brown hair tied back and glasses was addressing the sheriff. She wore a cheap black business suit and was clutching a pad with a pen and a recorder that she kept fumbling with. Dean looked her up and down, she was cute, not what he typically tried to hit, but that didn't stop him from checking her out. She never turned to acknowledge their presence.

"Could I get an official statement on what is happening here?" She looked at the Sheriff eagerly.

Anderson tried to retain his composure, "Like I told you before miss, I can't disclose official police business. I can tell you that this is Amy Liene, who disappeared last week."

Her jaw tightened, "The 21 year old that disappeared with the doors locked. Is there any connection between her and the Snyder boy?"

His voice raised further, "As I have already told you, I cannot and will not disclose any information relating to an ongoing investigation."

She meet his eyes, smirked and raised an eyebrow, "Well if there is no connection, why is the FBI here?"

Dean chuckled, she didn't miss a thing and it was enough to through the good Sheriff off his game, "My patience is wearing very thin with you Miss Ulrich."

"That's fine Sheriff, I am done with you for now." She nodded, at Sam and Dean, "Agents."

With that she turned on her heels and strutted up the small hill to the road, the heels of her shoes sinking in the grass. Dean watched her, thoughtfully, walk about halfway before Sam noticed and elbowed him in the shook his head again, "That reported showed up about a week ago, right when that Tommy Snyder was found up by the state park. She has been a thorn in my side ever since, harassing the townspeople with crazy questions, being at the library from open to close, chasing me from one side of town to the other with questions about that boy and some old cold cases."

Sam snorted and smirked, "We will meet the body back at the morgue, give us a call when the autopsy is finished. Thank you for your time."

With that the boys turned back to the Impala. Dean then turned to Sam, "I still don't know Sammy, spirits don't just haunt more than one place and there are no demonic omens, maybe there's nothing supernatural going on at all. Normal people do crazy shit all the time."

Sam half smiled and shook his head, "No Dean, this is definitely our kind of thing. Did you hear about the questions that reporter was asking?"

"Sammy, I don't know about hearing anything, she was hot. Like in a hot, nerdy librarian way. My kind of librarian, not yours." He smiled and bit his bottom lip.

Sam exhaled heavily, "Dude, you are confusing reality and porn again. Look again."

With that Sam pointed up the road a little ways. The reporter was taking notes, leaning on the hood of a canary yellow, 69' Camaro SS with a black racing stripe. Dean bit on his tongue, "And she has fantastic taste in cars."

"Dean, big time reporters drive BMW's, Mercedes, and those kinds of cars. A reporter like her could probably barely afford to run a Jetta or a Malibu around."

"Once again, great taste in classic cars."

"Dean! Who drives old cars, and asks questions about old cold cases? Not a reporter that wants to keep her job. Did you even listen to her name?"

"Ulrich, like the drummer from Metallica… Oh. You think she is a hunter? You can't be serious; she could barely handle a pen and paper. Could you see her digging up a grave or shooting a gun?"

Sam's voice raised in frustration, "I don't know but I think she is definitely involved with this case somehow."

"Well then you can follow her and I will go to the coroner's office and see if I can figure out what killed Amy and that boy. Take the car, I will catch a ride with one of the five-o." Dean walked back over to the police and Sam slid into the driver's seat of the Impala and waited. He watched "Miss Ulrich" walk to her trunk, rummage through some stuff. Then she got into her driver's seat, tossed her glasses aside and raced off. Sam pulled the Impala out behind her.


	2. Ms Ulrich

**A/N-Thank you so much for reading. This chapter was revised 4/7/15**

"**Ms. Ulrich's" (Reporter's) POV**

I sat on the couch at the Starlight Motel, staring at the pictures on the wall, chewing on the back of a pen. This case had me stumped; no monster or ghost I had heard of, or hunted for that matter, could kill like this. If these murders didn't occur every 31 years for as far back as the town's records, I would have just chalked it up to some crazy serial killer. I needed help, opening my phone I called his number again, and just like the last dozen or so times, straight to voicemail, "This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If it's an emergency, call my son Dean. 785-555-0179. He can help."

"You son of a bitch." I yelled out loud, throwing the phone onto the couch. The Liene girl had disappeared two nights ago, at any moment the police were going to find her body. Since I had started hunting four years ago John had never ignored my calls, especially when I got into shit this deep. The police radio on the table began to chirp, "All available units, just called in. Unidentified female found on the south end of town. Dead on scene."

"Shit, damn, fuck."

I quickly dressed into the business suit that I had "bought" on the way here. Also known as the suit that I lifted from the store on the way here. I pulled my curly brown hair into a tie and put a pair of glasses on. Pretending to be a reporter usually wasn't usually my thing, but I figured an FBI agent showing up in town the morning of a single murder of a young boy would rouse some suspicion. I did one final check in the mirror. My reflection stared back. I'm stocky, wide hips and wide shoulders, barreled chest. Dad always told me I was built to work; my unfeminine muscles and dark tan skin was a testament to years working at farms, and now hunting. This was in direct contradiction to my face. High cheekbones sat blow my eyes that were brown ringed with bright green. Like the rest of myself there was something that was strong yet soft about them. My nose turns out slightly at the end, and my lips are thin, sitting above a strong jaw and chin. At 20 years old I had thrown a potential future away because I could not sit and do nothing once I started seeing all the people that were dying. All the people that were getting hurt. I couldn't not hunt especially after a hunter saved me and my sister.

_Keep running was all I could think, my heart pounded through my chest. Save Maggie, get her out. But this psycho kept coming after us even after I put two rounds in his chest; his buddy was nowhere to be seen. Crashing through the cornfield, I could hear the footsteps behind me, the laughing. Concentrating so hard on pulling my ten year old sister behind me as we came out of the field, I ran headlong into a person standing on the road and let out a shriek, hands clamped down on me and I fought hard. A voice growled, _"_Get down, God dammit."_

_It was the FBI agent who had come to town after the fifth murder. I hit the pavement and pulled Mags down with me. In the dark I saw him throw water on the man as he came out of the corn. His eyes went black and he smoked, screaming in pain. The FBI agent pulled him into the trunk of that old Impala that he drove off, leaving us on the road. Alone and confused._

Drinking my coffee, I drove to the south eastern part of town and saw the lights from the cops' cars. I pulled the Camaro alongside the shoulder and pulled my ID and business card out of the glove compartment along with my pen and paper. Looking up I saw it, _the_ Impala. John must have got my messages, must be here to help. I scanned the crowd for him, my breath caught.

_I drove around town looking for that goddamn Impala. After what I saw last night there was no way in hell this guy was an FBI agent, we hadn't even been asked for an official statement and I shot the guy twice. I saw that car sitting at the second of the only two motels in town. I walked straight up to the door and knocked; as the door cracked I pushed my way in._

"_What the hell?" He exclaimed._

_I turned on him, "Who are you? There is no way you are FBI. And what was that thing last night?"_

_He regained his composure, "What are you talking about miss. I apprehended a suspect and am now pursuing his partner."_

_I laughed humurlessly, _"_Bull-shit. I put two deer slugs in him and he didn't even slow down. What the hell is going on?"_

_I stood toe to toe with him, not backing down. He had the audacity to smirk at me, _"_Fine. Have it your way, I don't have time for this shit. My name is John Winchester, that thing last night was a demon. I threw Holy water on it and exorcised it last night. Monsters are real, ghosts are real, and everything that makes girls like you feel safe is a lie. People like me hunt things like that."_

_I pondered on this for a moment. I knew in my heart before my brain even processed it that I owed a debt. And every debt must be paid, _"_Show me how."_

"_How to do what?" He was annoyed, voice raising, hands becoming more animated. _

"_Hunt like that, fight monsters, save people."_

"_Absolutely not. You don't know the first thing. This isn't a day care and I am not your babysitter."_

_I stared back at him, determined, "Show me how to or I will just figure it out on my own. I need to do this."_

_Snorting, John said to me, "You're a ballsy little shit, aren't you? What's your name?"_

"_Jennifer Wesson"._

Sam and Dean Winchester were talking to Sheriff Anderson. This was it, everything John had told me, everything that I knew was about to begin. I felt it in my gut, something was going to go down, it was in motion. I looked again in the rearview mirror, 'you can do this' I told myself. I stepped out as well as I could in these damn heels and walked to where the Sheriff was speaking to them. I had to let them on to me without confronting them, just like John had told me, it has to be their decision, "Sheriff Anderson! Sheriff…"

He turned to the Winchesters, probably grumbling about me, then faced me, "Yes Miss Ulrich? What can I do for your today?"

Be professional, and don't stare at them, "Could I get an official statement on what is happening here?"

"Like I told you before ma'am I can't disclose official police business. I can tell you that this is Amy Liene, who disappeared last week."

"The 21 year old that disappeared with the doors locked. Is there any connection between her and the Snyder boy?" Of course there is no connection that he can see. This town's good Sheriff couldn't have been bothered to look back a few years in the town's records.

He was snarling now, pissed, "As I have already told you, I cannot and will not disclose any information relating to an ongoing investigation."

Alrighty you little shit, let's see what your smart answer is for this, "Well if there is no connection, why is the FBI here?"

Dean almost choked, trying to contain his amusement, and the good sheriff looked like someone took a big old shit in his morning Wheaties, "My patience is wearing very thin with you Miss Ulrich."

"That's fine Sheriff, I am done with you for now." Looking over at Sam and Dean I nodded, "Agents", and turned away. Hopefully it had been enough, hopefully the Sheriff's bitching would help. I really needed help and at this point I am not too picky on who I get it from. I reached my car, sat on the hood and closed my eyes…

"_Uff", I grunted as I drug the struggling body into the empty house we had found, "How the hell do you carry bodies around all the time without getting caught?"_

"_It's a gift... nah, just kidding. It is a combination of watching your back, finding secluded locations, and making sure you are not being watched."_

_We tied the demon to the chair inside the devil's trap that John showed me how to make, teaching me that once inside, the demon becomes powerless and unable to leave. I finished the last knot, _"_So now that he is all tied up all we have to do is exorcise him? Does it get rid of it permanently?"_

"_No, it sends it back to Hell, and with any luck it will be a few hundred years before it claws its way back out again. Here," he handed me the journal he carried with him, "read it, you will see."_

_With a deep breath began to read, "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,_ _omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii,_ _omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica…"_

_The demon was shrieking, his eyes black, yelling incoherently, "John Winchester, you know about your little Sammy don't you. How your wife really burnt up on that ceiling…"_

_John threw Holy water on it and it screamed again, "Finish it Jen.."_

_I inhaled shakily, _"_Ergo, draco tuam securi tibi facias libertate servire,te rogamus, audi nos."_

_With that black smoke rose from its mouth and burned through the ground. The man it had been possessing was dead. We got in the car and John was driving me home. Down the road he stopped, handing me a stack of papers, "This is a copy of most of the stuff in my journal. Everything I know about monsters is in there. Do not go picking fights if you don't have to until you get your sea legs, you hear me?"_

"_Yes sir."_

"_You can call me anytime on a hunt if you get in a jam or you bit off more than you can chew, I will help if I can."_

_I nodded and he handed me two more things, "This is a picture of my boys, Dean and Sam. This isn't going to make a lick of sense now but you are going to meet them some day. Jen, you cannot let them know who you are or that you know me until they approach you. That is very important do you understand?"_

_I nodded, slightly confused, _"_I don't let them know who I am until they approach me. Why?"_

"_It needs to be their decision or they will second guess themselves. They need you as much as you need them. I wasn't sure before but you guys need each other, they need your help. You have to memorize that photo. When they approach you give them that envelope. It has instructions from me for them. Do not open it, give it to Dean."_

_And with that we parted ways._


	3. The First Case

**A/N: Hi guys thanks for reading. This chapter I had a lot of trouble with and I will probably rewrite it at a later time. But there are little aspects that I knew would be important to future chapters and I feel I need to move on with this story. The biggest problem is that I know where I want to go with this story I am just unsure how to get there. So, good luck and thank you again for reading.**

Opening my eyes again I knew Dean would believe me, I could feel it, I had to get him that envelope like John had told me. I watched them, pretending to be engulfed in my notes. They were talking to each other and when Sam jutted his head towards my car and Dean slowly looked. I knew they suspected me. Dean proceeded to head toward the Sheriff and Sam went to the Impala, shit. This was not going to go at all like I have planned. I went to the trunk and out of my small arsenal I pulled a few "supplies" out and into my bag including my favorite, a Colt M1911A1 that was nickel plated, similar the one an old friend had had the last time I saw him. The gun was honestly a little big for me, but you couldn't beat it for knock down power and initial intimidation factor in a hand gun. I also threw in "old faithful", a Winchester 870 that had been my dad's. I had grown up deer hunting with it and had graduated it to this style of hunting. The thing was the most reliable gun I had ever owned. I slid in, threw my glasses to the side for good measure and squealed the tires as I raced off, the Impala trailing behind.

I drove the ten miles to the Starlight Motel, never deviating from my route, acting like I had no idea in the slightest that I was being tailed. Why couldn't Dean have gotten into that car; it would have made my life so much easier. I pulled right up to room number 4, grabbed my bag and proceeded in like nothing was amiss. The Impala slid into the parking spot by the office and just as I walked into my room, Sam went into the office. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, my skin was crawling. The vibes I got told me that this was not going to end well.

...********************************************************************************************************************************-

Sam followed the Camaro the entire way to the hotel, staying a few cars back for good measure, but the driver never seemed to notice that she was being followed. When she arrived at the Starlight Motel, he pulled into the parking lot and drove straight to the office. He watched as she grabbed her bag, and walked into her room, number 4. He checked into a room for the next week, and thanked the man behind the desk.

"You're the second this week to check in for that long mister, we don't get much business like that out here. That reporter in the Camaro is here for another week and she has been here since that boy died… You said you are FBI?"

"Yeah, my partner should be in later today."

"Well good luck to you, this town is in a panic over this. That kind of stuff just doesn't happen in small towns like this."

"We will do our best sir."

"Well I put you in room 10, just don't destroy anything and let me know if you'll be needing anything else."

He flipped open his phone to call Dean and it went straight to voicemail.

"Hey I'm at the Starlight Motel, we are in ten, she is in four. Found out she checked in right before they found the boy's body, she is defiantly involved or knows something. I'm going to check it out."

Sam went to the window outside of four, the curtains were half pulled, the room dark, except for a light in the bathroom, the shower was running. He picked the lock and slowly, quietly opened the door, gun drawn. Stepping inside he could see clearly the table of files, newspaper articles and notes on these cases and dozens of others. Pinned to the wall were numbers and crime scene photos that were drawn and scribbled one. Another step inside, he heard a grunt. He turned in time to see a shotgun heading for his face. Everything went black.

Slowly coming out of it, the world was fuzzy. Trying to move his arms Sam suddenly felt trapped. He was tied and handcuffed to a chair. From the shadows a voice came…

"You aren't going to be able to get out of those. They are pretty much hunter proof. I already patted you down, there is nothing left you can pick or cut any of it with."

"What do you want?"

"Help on this case. To give you and your brother information that you need to know."

"You have a funny way of asking for help."

She snorted and stood up from a crouching position, "Trust me, this is the only way. You wouldn't listen otherwise."

Moving the curtains, Sam watched her as she looked outside, "You and your brother would never trust another hunter or work with one you didn't know. I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be right now."

Sam thought it was strange how truly remorseful her voice sounded.

Jen knew at this point it was only a waiting game until Dean showed up. She hated to do this to Sam, but it was necessary to get their attention.

...**************************************************************************************************************************-

"Where the hell is he?"

Dean was in number 10 of the Starlight Motel, the Impala was parked out front. Where in the hell was Sammy? Looking out the window, he scanned the parking lot. Something was wrong, 4 was awful dark for a car being parked out front.

"Son of a bitch."

Moving along side of motel walls he tried to catch a glimpse inside of 4, but the curtains were drawn. He began to pick the lock and drew his gun, slamming inside the room. In front of him he saw Sammy and that reporter with an 870 shotgun pointed at his little brothers head.

"Put it down you crazy bitch."

"Listen to me Dean we can talk this out, your brother came in here the same way and look what happened to him. I don't want to hurt you or him."

"Hurt me? That's cute."

He cocked the safety on his gun, aiming for the headshot.

"Dean, you better make it count. You are quick, but I have a shotgun, the spread at this range will kill Sam. It would be a hell of a lot easier if you would just put it down."

"I don't give in that easy. You first."

"Alright"

He was shocked when she lowered the shotgun and faced him, staring at him, waiting, watching. He pulled the gun up, resetting the hammer and stuck it in the back of his pants. She smirked, watching him. An odd thought occurred to him.

"How do you know who we are?"

She grabbed something off the table beside her and tossed him a leather bound binder that he caught.

"Does that look familiar?"

Inside it were photo copies of the journal that Dean had on the inside of his jacket. A copy of his father's journal.

"How did you get this?"

"Your dad gave it to me about four years ago, he taught me how to hunt and about everything I know has come from that journal. He told me you two were the best hunters around and that if I ever got into a jam, you two would be just about the best I could hope for."

It was Dean's turn to smirk. She began untying Sam who at this point in time was thoroughly confused and pissed off.

"Sorry about that, but I needed to get your guys' attention, and the odds were kind of bad for me. You know, two to one."

"My dad never mentioned you."

"I'm sure he didn't for a reason, but anyways I was told to give this to you."

She held an envelope in her hand, Dean reached for it and she pulled it back and over her shoulder.

"Nope. You help me on this case, I give this to you. Call it an insurance policy. Deal?"

"Like you said before, we don't work with other hunters." Sam chimed in.

Jen turned to Sam head cocked, biting the inside of her cheek, controlling herself before she snapped.

"Last time I checked Sam, your dad was missing. He gave this to me to give to you guys. This could be your only chance at finding him."

Dean looked at her, jaw clenching, "We help you with this case and the second it's done that envelope is in my possession."

"Of course." She held out her hand. He grabbed it and they shook.

"My name is Jen by the way."

...**************************************************************************************************************************-

Thirty minutes later she had them run through most of the details. Both were still suspicious of her, but had relaxed considerably once they had slid back into the rhythm of the job. Plus she put them at ease, her instincts were solid and Jen knew her stuff. Even Sam was impressed at the amount of information she had dug up on her own. Jen walked to the fridge and grabbed three beers. Dean took his and popped the top off, hell it was five o'clock somewhere.

"So now it is a matter of finding out who he is."

Sam shook his head, "Jen, spirits don't move like that, they are attached to a place."

"Not if it were attached to some particular object. It wouldn't matter then."

Dean nodded, "Like the hook man a few months back, he was attached to the silver, remember?"

Jen pushed her hair back, "I'm telling you I have been through this pattern back to the mid-1800s where it begins. It doesn't fit any monster pattern or any ritualistic sacrifice for lower gods that I can find. And I have been trying cross reference the years before the first deaths with 31 year olds but I can't find what I am looking for."

Sam looked over everything on the wall again. "How do you know who you're looking for when no one has seen anything and there is no local lore? What do you have these numbers tied to?"

"That's how I figured out what I am looking for. The ages of the victims, 12, 21 and 40. They are all biblically significant numbers."

Both gave her dumbfounded looks. Jen responded by rolling her eyes.

" Twelve, like the apostles. Twenty-one, a lot of significant prophecies made add or make twenty one in some form, there are twenty-one chapters of revelation that contain horrific violence. Forty, like the forty days Jesus spent in the desert, the forty years Moses spent leading the Israelites to safety. There are always three deaths like the trinity. They always disappear seven days apart; God created the earth in seven days, there are seven holy sacraments, etcetera. They always are found three days after they disappear, 'and on the third day Jesus rose again', blah, blah. "

Dean snorted, "That could just be a coincidence."

"That's what I thought at first too. But all the numbers are biblically significant. Not just some of them. So I figured we are looking for a priest that died in the mid-1800s, at 31, violently, probably lynched. After all accidents don't just happen."

It was Sam's turn to question her, "What makes you say that? You couldn't possibly have gotten that from just the numbers."

"I have good instincts", Jen replied indignantly, "Plus, it is the first killing. It is always a twelve year old boy. The other two's gender vary. So that one is more significant which is why I say priest, not reverend."

Dean shook his head in disgust, "That's disgusting. You put all this together on your own in four days?"

"I had been looking for a new case, trying to find patterns before they started again. This one caught my eye and I tried to get here on time but didn't make it. Now I am trying to play catch up."

Sam snorted, "So we are looking for a needle in a stack of needles according to you. Great."

"Take it easy Sammy; she's doing a decent job for being by herself. Don't be a girl just because she took down your ass and tied you to a chair."

"I'm going to go back to the room to grab my laptop."

Sam stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Is he always bitchy like that?"

"You did tie him to a chair. Nah, he's a good kid but he doesn't play well with other hunters."

"You want another beer?"

"Now that I wouldn't say no to."

Jen grabbed two more beers from the fridge, handed Dean one and she sat on the couch adjacent to him.

"I don't understand. I know it is a spirit. But I have been through every damn death record, birth record, and every freaking cemetery in this town and I can't find a person who matches this."

"Now this may be out there, but have you considered that you might be wrong?"

"I'm not. Unfortunately, when it comes to weird, I am never wrong."

Dean watched her eyes jump from paper to paper on the wall.

"Well then let's figure out who this asshole is."

...**************************************************************************************************************************-

**Jen's POV**

Hours later we were still sitting in silence. Sam was focused on his laptop, Dean was going through old newspapers, and I was going through more records that I had lifted from the town hall. My vision was starting to blur from being up so long.

Dean's hands slammed on the table, making me jump.

"Yahtzee!"

Sam spoke up, "You got something?"

"Why the hell else would I say Yahtzee? Yes I've got something. Jen was right. There isn't a death record, but there is an article in a newspaper from 1881 about a Father Gregory becoming the head of the local church after the abrupt departure of a Father Adams. The weird thing is that in no preceding articles did it mention that Father Adams was leaving. He just fell off the face of the earth. And guess what Adams was? Wait for it...31 years old."

I nodded, "Back then the church would have just wanted the problem to go away. So whatever happened to Adams wasn't documented and just swept under the rug. My best guess is he was probably lynched and burned once the boy's family found what was happening to him."

Sam finally chimed in, "So it is an object. Fantastic."

I smiled, my couple classes in religious history may not have been so much of a waist.

"I know what it is. You guys are going to love this. It is the cross that the priests wear. They used to stay with the parish. Especially if the previous one died."

Sam smiled back, "That explains how it gets around town, wherever the priest goes Adams goes with him. If he is a vengeful spirit Adams could be possessing the priests."

Dean joined in, "So every 31 years the ghost wakes up and takes the priest on a joyride to take revenge on the type of people who killed him."

"Sounds like we need to track down a crucifix."

Sam looked at me, "No offense Jen, but how are you going to get a thing that a priest wears at all times? It's not like you can just walk up to him and pull it off his neck."

"Watch and learn boys."

I walked out of the room and to the trunk of the Camaro. Now where did I put it, ah yes. I pulled out the pack of animal tranquilizers that I kept with all my other "miscellaneous" liquids. As I turned around Dean and Sam were watching me from the door.

"So are you guys getting in or am I riding with you?"

Dean walked over to the car.

"You do realize you have a pretty sweet ride, 69, right?"

"Yep, did all the work on it myself, I pulled it out of a junk yard a few years ago."

Singer Auto to be exact, but they didn't need to know that right now. We pilled in and my radio was blasting, turning it down Dean spoke from the passenger's seat…

"You like Quiet Riot? "

"Hells yeah" I winked, "You bitching? Cause driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his pie hole."

He chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it. I just had you more pegged as a Spice Girls, pop, hip hop person."

"Yeah, when hell freezes over. The closest I get to anything modern is some country when I get bored. Anyways when we get to the church the goal is for you guys to talk to the priest. I will take care of the rest."

Thirty minutes later Dean and Sam were talking to the priest inside the church. I was making my way up the balcony where the choir would be at. I could hear their muffled conversation below.

"Well I am glad your family is considering joining our little parish."

You guys are so full of shit. Just keep him talking for a few more minutes, please. I could see them now and I aimed the gun at the priest's neck. In, out, in. Dean caught the movement of the gun out of the corner of his eye and the look he gave me was startled and it clearly asked 'what the hell I thought I was doing'. Out. I pulled the trigger and the dart landed right in the jugular and he dropped like a sack of shit.

"What in the hell?", Sam was checking for the priest's pulse, Looking around and finally spotted me. I blew on the barrel, raised my eyebrows and chuckled. Dean laughed, Sam was clearly not amused.

"Was that at all necessary, the last thing he is going to remember is us talking to him and he is going to think we stole it."

"Well technically we are going to steal it." I replied as I climbed down the stairs.

"She has a point, Sammy, it might not be our normal tactics, but the job is getting done."

I joined them on the floor of the church and ripped the chain off the priest's neck. When my hand touched the chain I could see my breath.

"Ah, hell."

"Son of a bitch."

I was tossed across the room and my head hit a pew, the wood splintered and embedded into my shoulder. The boys were thrown in the other direction. Above the body stood a figure of a man with charred clothing and skin that had melted and burned.

"JEN! You got it?" Dean yelled.

"Yeah."

"Well get rid of it now."

I jumped up and started running for the front where a torch was burning, grabbing the salt container from my jacket pocket. Halfway to the front something jerked my ankles backwards and I fell face first onto the stone. I groaned turning, the ghost was on top of me grabbing my neck. Where his hands touched my skin burned. The edges of my vison were starting to go black and my hands searched for something to help. Nothing. I kept grasping, hoping, then salt passed through the ghost and Dean was standing above me.

"Thanks" I choked.

He grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet, "Don't mention it."

Sam had caught up and grabbed the crucifix from the floor. It was getting cold again and the lights were flickering wildly. Shit was flying off the walls.

"How about we give the good father a proper sendoff Sammy?"

Sam threw the crucifix into the fire with the salt. Adams was walking up the aisle at us now. His edges smoldering.

"Sammy, you want to hurry that up a little bit?"

Adams grabbed Dean but there was nothing left to defend him with. Sam and I grasped at the ghost, but both of us got tossed across the room again, but this time my back collided with the alter. Adams edges started to burn, he screamed, and then he was gone. Dean got up, beat up, but okay.

"Well that was just tons of fun. Remind me not to ever do that again."

...**************************************************************************************************************************-

Back at the Starlight all three of them were getting cleaned up and tending to their wounds. Sam probably had a minor concussion and bruises as did Dean. Jen had a nasty cut to her shoulder but she wrapped it up and called it a day. Both her and Dean shared the same strangulation marks that Adams' victims had. After she cleaned herself up and packed she knocked on the door to ten. Dean answered.

"I believe this belongs to you." She handed him the envelope.

Dean looked her up and down again. Battered and bruised she still maintained composer, a mark of a true hunter, you didn't let the job ever get to you.

"Thanks." He smiled, "You mean to tell me you have never opened this."

"Dean, I have had that for four years, since the day your father gave it to me, and I have never opened it. Sure I was curious, but he told me not to and to make sure that you got it when I saw you and Sam. I respect him enough to do what he asked"

"How did you meet my dad?"

"Let's just say that he saved my life and that is a big part of the reason I hunt."

"My dad, Sammy and me have saved a lot of people and they don't just become hunters Jen. This life isn't for normal people."

"I can't sit by and watch stuff happen that I know I can change. And who the hell said I am normal? As serial killerish as it sounds, I love it in its own twisted, screwed up way. And you can't say it is without its perks." She gestured towards her car.

"I guess so. Hey, if you ever need any help Sam and I are a phone call away, alright?"

"Sure, see you around Dean."

He watched her cross the parking lot and go back into four. Jen was a hell of a woman, fearless and different. Dean couldn't put his finger on it. She was a hunter like she had said. He had seen it when that ghost attacked her, Jen hadn't panicked. It was old hat for her, it was fun. Closing the door he looked at the envelope. It was plain but aged.

"What do you think dad put in it?"

"I have no idea but we are about to find out."

Dean ripped the seal and read the content. All five words.

...**************************************************************************************************************************-

**Jen's POV**

I was doing a last check of the room to leave. I don't know what I had expected but I, everything, felt wrong. Like I was supposed to do something else, like something still had to happen before I left town. So I did what anyone would do and switched on the TV. Just as I was about to sit, there was a knock on the door.

I opened it, "Dean? What is it?". He had clearly just sprinted the parking lot.

"You have never seen what was inside this envelope?", He was stern, walking towards me, holding it up, "You have no idea what it says?"

I backed in the room but held my ground, Sam burst in seconds later.

"I told you I have never seen what was inside. Why would I lie?"

"What did my dad tell you when he gave this to you? Answer me goddammit."

"He told me it had to be your decision. That's it. What the hell is your problem?"

He searched my face for a while and calmed.

"Nothing. I'm sorry."

He walked past me into the room and looked at the wall a bit. I looked at Sam but he appeared just as confused as me. But that empty feeling had begun to leave my gut. Something changed. After minuets Dean finally broke the silence.

"Hey Jen? What do you say you hit the road with us?"

After his little outburst that had been the last thing I expected, "What?"

"Yeah", he rubbed the back of his neck, "it's not safe for hunters alone, and plus maybe cause you knew dad you could help us find him."

Sam jumped forward, "Dean, aren't we going to talk about this, we don't…"

Dean cut him off mid thought, "What do you say Jen? We could use the extra help."

I thought for a moment, a smile crept across my lips.

"Yes."


	4. Making Ends Meet

**A/N= Thank you again for reading. There is a note at the bottom awaiting you once you are done with this chapter.**

**Revised 4/7/15**

Jen's POV

The engine of the Impala cutting off and the door opening woke me from sleep. Dean jumped out of the front seat and started pumping gas. It had been two days since we left Dodgeville and all we had done was drive around northern Wisconsin and into Minnesota, trying to get ahold of a hunt, but nothing was turning up. It had been a lot of quiet miles with a ton of research that hadn't given us anything. Sam turned to the back, "You want anything from inside?"

I shook my head, "I am going to get out anyway, I have been sitting way too long."

I walked into the station to grab a coffee and a Reese's, my favorite. Well, I don't really like chocolate, but I freaking love peanut butter. While I paid with cash I saw Sam talking with Dean, he was frustrated, animated. I knew Dean asking me to come along had put tension between them. As I walked out Sam ended the conversation, and confirmed what I had thought, they had indeed been talking about me. Dean rolled his eyes, "We are going to stop at the next motel and hit up a local bar, we could all use a shower and a good nights sleep."

I nodded, sipping my coffee, "Sounds good to me."

We drove for a good sixty miles before we hit another motel. Though they hadn't spoken much the last two days, and these next miles were covered in total and complete silence. It kinda sucked and was really awkward. The place we pulled into was shabby like all the other motels I had stayed in, straight out of the 70s and not updated since probably about the same time. I hopped out of the car as soon as the Impala stopped, "I got this."

I walked up to the office and the man behind the desk greeted me, "Hi there, what can I do for you?"

"Two rooms please. One night for now"

He gave me the price and I handed him a credit card with God knows whose name. He nodded as he swiped the card, "Thank you ma'am."

I headed back out to the car and tossed Sam one set of the keys and grabbed my bag out of the trunk. I was frustrated and tired, all I wanted was a shower. More than that; I was done with Sam's pissy mood. Dean yelled after me as I headed off, "We are heading out around seven. A.I.S"

"Okay."

By 6:30 I had my shower, was ready to go, and had marathoned way too many Law &amp; Order episodes on USA. Checking my phone I figured I could head over to their room. They had had plenty of time to cool off and settle down. I slipped on my heeled boots with short tops and checked in the mirror a final time. The clothes I wore were the perfect amount of revealing. Skinny jeans that were skin-tight and a shirt that accented curves without showing too much. The make-up was flawless and simple. I had done this way too many times, after all hunting didn't pay well. Not paying for my drinks while hustling pool, darts, and poker made my life a shit ton easier. Men missed a lot when they were looking else-where.

* * *

Dean was done with Sam's pissy attitude, he had been being a little bitch all afternoon. Sammy would never understand that Dad's orders needed followed, even if the order was cryptic. And as soon as Sam quit he would start-up the same argument again, "I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man, Dean."

"That's enough Sam, Dad gave me an order and we are following it."

"To what? Bring along a girl, a hunter, that we have never met. Just because she says that she knows Dad?"

"Yes!"

"Then why won't you show me that piece of paper, Dean? What is so secret about it?"

"Because it was for me, if it had been for you Dad would have told Jen to give it to you."

"What the hell man, are you that hard up for tail that you use that letter as an excuse to bring a stranger along?"

Dean's voice raised, he was done with this, "Dammit Sam that's enough. That is not what this is about. If anyone other than Dad had given this to us, you would have given two shits less, and you know it."

There was a pause, Sam knew he had crossed the line. Dean never disobeyed Dad, ever. He watched Dean chew the inside of his cheek, he was pissed, and had had enough, "Sorry man."

Dean exhaled and snorted, "No chickflick moments."

A knock on the door startled them both, Dean reached for his gun at first, but then he saw the time, "She's early, but I guess it's time to go."

He opened the door and did a double take, 'holy hell' was all he could think to himself. He had noticed that Jen had this girl next door thing about her, but this was different. She was, well, kinda sexy. Jen looked him up and down and smirked, "Are we going to go or are you going to stand there all day like an idiot?"

Dean shook himself out of his small daydream, "Yeah we are going, Sammy! Let's go!"

They piled into the Impala, heading for the nearest bar. Dean watched her through the rearview mirror, "Sam and me usually pull a lot of cash at these bars in the middle of nowhere. Hustling poker and pool mostly. This isn't social hour. This is work so that we can work."

"I'm disappointed in you, Dean. You think I would dress like this just to sit at a bar? Apparently you have never hustled a bar with a woman or been a totally asshole before." She giggled and smiled knowingly. Sam laughed, Dean raised his eyebrows, confused, "What am I missing?"

Sam turned, "She plays them. Flirts, probably fairly innocently at first and then the more they drink more aggressively. Then she takes her, well take, and then walks away. Am I right?"

Jen nodded, "Basically."

"So let me get this straight," Dean looked back at her, "while your playing tonsil hockey and dry humping outside the bathroom, you take the poor guy's wallet and he doesn't even get to third? That's cold. You work all night to get one wallet?"

"It's a science, I can get more than one usually, plus hustle some darts or pool. It doesn't work with just anyone. You have to pick a guy that keeps cash on hand that you can get drunk quick, and then send home. It is easiest with guys that think they are all that or guys that aren't used to getting attention, that are shy. The only problem is if the bartender is watching and decides to be an asshole. And before you judge, I don't do it to just anyone."

A few hours after arriving at the bar Dean had scored a few hundred bucks at pool and Sam was just talking to locals, playing along with Dean, telling him to slow down on the drinking. They both knew very well that Dean could drink the entire bar and not be as shit faced as some of these people where by ten o'clock. Dean kept looking over at Jen. She had fumbled around the bar for the first few hours, talking, laughing and drinking until she had one and sat next to this asshole that had been loud all damn night, and had bought her a few. They had been doing shots for awhile now. Dean just shook his head and continued to play pool.

Thirty minutes later Dean headed to take a piss and walked down the little hall, that guy had Jen shoved up against the wall on his way in, pushing her upwards. The guy was wasted, groping her in all the wrong places and just plain downright clumsy with her. It kind of pissed him off, he had only known Jen for a few days, but he knew she deserved better than that. On the way out they bumped into him as they headed into the bathroom.

"Sam, I think you were wrong about one thing. She sure as hell lets them get past second base." Just as he said that Jen came running out of the hall, flustered and right to the bartender. Sam could just get snippets of what they were talking about, "I don't know what happened, he just passed out."

The bartender headed back the dank little hall.

* * *

I picked the guy out before I even made it into the bar. Parked in the lot was a brand new Challenger, as we passed it I noticed how impeccable the front seat was, but the tell-tale bachelor backseat, junk strewn around. So, obsessed about appearances but doesn't have someone around to keep him clean. The Challenger was tricked out, so money was obvious. Probably late twenties more likely early thirties. That age and single, annoying person, probably huge ego, womanizer. I smelt huge compensation. I shouldn't have to work too hard. Beautiful.

We walked in, the boys headed straight to a table and ordered some drinks, I looked everyone up and down, analyzing, looking for my guy. The bartender was already drinking with the customers, there were a variety of people, no one would remember us. Dean walked back from the bar with an extra drink which he handed to me. I laughed, "We doing shots already?"

"Gotta keep up appearances."

I downed my drink. I could tell that after two days on the road he was still sizing me up. And now he was judging how I made money. It was easier than hustling games. A girl beating a guy really pissed some men off, they automatically thought you were cheating. And even though technically I was misleading them, I always won fair and square. They usually ended with some jerk getting his ass beat and my ass getting thrown out of the bar. Then me having to ditch town before I even had enough for gas and food, "Alright Dean, enough play, time to get to work."

I walked up to the bar and struck up a few conversations with the locals. For the most part they were all nice, hard-working people. I had also found my guy. He was loud, way too immaculate, spent too much time on his hair, definitely compensating. But expensive cloths and watch. I kept a conversation going with a couple of women in their mid-thirties who were definitely here just to drink and get picked up. Unfortunately for them, they left their purses a little too far open.

The bar was three sides of a rectangle and he was sitting about halfway down the long side, talking louder than necessary. When he talked to people he acted bigger, tried to pillar over them, with the women sitting near him he would invade their space. Dominant personality, definitely egotistical. At this point he was just confirming that he needed to be taken down a few pegs. He raised his head and looked my way, as I had been watching him it wasn't hard to do the awkward look back down and smile. I looked back up under my lashes. He smirked and looked like a predator that had just gotten a whiff of its next meal. Internally I rolled my eyes, some men just made this way too easy. The bartender came over, "This drink is from the guy down the bar."

"Thanks"

"For what its worth, you should stay away from him. He can be a real ass. We have had trouble with him before."

I nodded and gave him a small smile, "I will keep that in mind."

I looked down the bar at him as I took the first sip of the drink. He winked at me and I tried my best to look embarrassed and shy. Turning my head down again. The drink was disgustingly sweet. Hard liquor and beer were definitely more my speed but I had to keep up the act while in the bar. As long as he thought he could take advantage of me, this would work. About five minutes later and most of the drink gone I moved next to him at the bar,"Thank you for the drink."

He looked me up and down, and I did the same now that I was closer. My short frame in heels didn't even make it to his shoulders, the guy was flat-out huge. With his persona this could put a speed bump in my night, but I could handle myself.

"No problem baby," he steered me to the seat next to him, "How about the next one you have right here."

The next couple hours were filled with bad conversation and sexual innuendos. I can't believe guys actually think this shit works, and even worse, I can't believe women let them. I had been right, the car was his and he wouldn't shut up about it. To me newer muscle cars are just pieces of shit, yeah they have good motors and have newer tech in them but there is nothing like the rumble of an old engine and the way that they drive. The guy was relentless in hitting on me and had no shame. And the more he drank the more he grabbed me. As always, it was difficult to stay calm with someone in my space and I felt nauseous . I did not like people touching me. I was uncomfortable, edgy and he made my skin crawl the more that he talked and the more that he grabbed.

I continued to drink with him to keep up appearances. These people had no idea how to really drink. Eventually I started to hear and see what I wanted. His words began to slur and he was becoming progressively irritable with the men around him, especially when they would look at me. His hand would not stop grabbing my ass when I stood and my thigh when I sat.

I stood up and hissed in his ear, "Let's go."

I guided him back to the hall with the bathrooms, as I turned he slammed me against the wall and pressed his lips against mine. My skin shook with fear but I had no choice but to allow it to happen. The guy was all freaking hands and kept pushing me harder against the wall and lifting me up. Alrighty, calm down, it is gonna be fine. I saw Dean walk by and shake his head. My hand shifted from his side to inside the pockets. Searching. This guy wasn't letting up, he kept pushing me towards the bathroom. As Dean walked out I made sure we bumped into him. He kept pushing me until we were almost in a stall, no fucking class whatsoever. I pushed away, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I need to go."

As I turned he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back hard.

"Come on, baby, you don't mean that, " He managed to slur out.

Alright, strike one. This time I shoved him a bit, "No, I need to get out of here"

This time he grabbed my whole body and pinned me against the wall, pushing himself against me, hard. Pulling at my cloths, hands sliding into my pants. You don't get a strike three with me. There was a little part of me that panicked, but I calmed myself. I ripped my leg free and kneed him in the groin. He doubled over and my fist collided with his jaw, slamming it upward. He was out cold before he hit the ground. I looked in the mirror and mused my hair little more. I hated it, and felt disgusting, and at the same time powerful. But I began to settle, it was over. I ran, stumbling to the bartender, "Hey, hey. I don't know what happened but he fell in the bathroom."

The bartender jumped the bar and took off towards the bathroom. I stayed on a stool and looked distraught until the bartender came back, "Its alright, he just passed out, drank too much."

"Thanks."

* * *

Jen eventually skipped over to where Dean and Sam were, "So how is your night going boys?"

"We won about $500 at pool. They don't have a poker game going so we kept it small tonight," Dean replied to her, "So how did it go with gigantor. Heard he passed out on you."

Jen smirked, "With a little help he passed out, couldn't understand what 'no' meant. I don't know how I did, I don't have the wallet."

Sam shook his head at her, aspirated, "So you just spent hours with a man, ditched him in a bar restroom, and didn't get a damn thing out of it?"

"Yee of little faith. I don't have the wallet. Dean would you mind reaching into your coat pocket?"

He fumbled with the outer pockets and felt the outside of his jeans and looked at Jen quizzically.

She reached out and grabbed the front and reached inside to the chest pocket pulling him closer,

"Easy there," He laughed. She smiled back and rolled her eyes, "Don't get too excited."

Jen's hand came back out with two wallets that neither of them recognized, a money clip and a wad of cash. Dean looked impressed, "Your good, how the hell did you do it?"

He watched her pull his jacket out again and slip the stuff back into his pockets, "When I bumped into you heading out of the bathroom and when you passed on the way in."

"I never felt a thing."

"You weren't supposed to. I have had a lot of practice."

It was Sam's turn to talk, "Not to state the obvious, but where did the other two come from?"

"Oh, those. The other wallet came from one of the guys that had it sticking way too far out his back pocket. The insurance salesman who left about an hour ago. The money clip is from the one guy with the band t-shirt that kept trying to cop a feel at the bar, he just pissed me off. And the cash came from the two crazy cat ladies' purses at the end of the bar."

"Not too bad." Dean smiled, sipping a beer.

"Not too, bad , Dean? Really?", Sam said, "She's a thief."

"Sammy how is that any different from what we do with credit cards? And we have stole our fair share of stuff."

They spent the rest of the night drinking and playing pool and darts. Jen kept up with them in pool and ended up losing by one shot to Sam but beat Dean in the game after. In darts she flat-out kicked their asses. They left at last call, Sam with the keys. Dean passed the stuff back to Jen in the back seat, she counted everything out. There was almost a grand and a half in cash, "Oh, Dean I almost forgot."

Jen tossed a black wallet up to the front seat.

"What the hell...", He opened it up and it was a cop's badge from a few towns over.

"Snagged it off the five'o that came in late and left. Figured you guys had some use for it."

Dean closed it and placed it in the glove compartment, "Nice grab. Officer Washington, huh? I'm sure we will use it."

Sam pulled out of the lot and drove them back to the motel. Jen passed out on her bed, the boys went back to their room and Dean fell right asleep. Sam stayed up, still searching for a hunt. Within a half hour he had found one. But Sam still had other business to attend to. Once Dean was fast asleep Sam rummaged through Dean's bag until he found what he was looking for. Sam looked at it and couldn't believe what he saw, quickly he replaced it.

"Wake up Dean, let's go."

Dean moaned in protest, "I need my four hours."

"You can sleep on the road. I will go get Jen."

He walked down the front of the motel and knocked on her door. He heard the rustle of blankets and when the door opened he saw the gun in her hand get placed in the back of her pants. A true hunter, calm but rubbed her eyes, "Where are we going?"

"Hibbing, Minnesota."

"Well at least we are already in the right state. Give me five minutes."

Sam, though bitter about the circumstances, accepted the fact that Jen was staying with them. The letter from dad explained Dean's cryptic reason for bringing her along, the orders weren't clear but Dean wouldn't chance something this big on interpretation. Hell, Sam wasn't even sure he wouldn't have made the same decision now. All he knew were that the words on that page were going to haunt him until he knew what they meant. The five simple words in Dad's hand…

_She will save you both_

_**A/N=In this chapter we are introduced to the very questionable way that Jen makes enough money to hunt. Even though she has other motives, which will be revealed, I thought that this was a little more realistic for how a woman, on her own, would have to get ahold of spare cash. A woman flat out beating a man at a bar would cause a lot of trouble and she wouldn't be able to stick around long enough to make it worth her while. After this chapter the FanFic will follow the basic outline Supernatural Series and their cases along the way. Enjoy and thanks for reading.**_


	5. The Benders

**A/N: Revised on 4/12/15**

My chin rested on the middle of the front seat of the Impala, reading over Sam's shoulder, Metallica was blasting from the speakers. It was an odd case, but hell, any case hunters picked up was, well, different. Dean asked from the driver's seat, "What is going on with this thing again?"

Sam replied, "Hibbing, Minnesota. A boy watching TV in his bedroom. He hears a noise outside and looks out the window. A man is walking in a parking lot, he gets down on the ground to look under the car. Then totally freaked out. Tries to run away, and quote on quote, ' a monster drags him under the car and the man was screaming.' "

"What? The dark, a monster? Nah, never." I said as sarcastically as I could manage. Dean chuckled, "Don't know what you are talking about Jen."

An hour later we were at the boy's home. Sam and Dean had done a quick change into state police uniforms, and I was in a deputy uniform. Dean turned to me when we hit the step, "Alright, Jen, you let us take lead on this."

"When hell freezes over." And I knocked on the door. Dea was not amused and Sam chuckled, "Hey, you picked her."

A lady in her early thirties opened the door slowly,

"Mrs. McKay?", I asked with a smile.

"Yes?"

"We were wondering if we could speak to your son about the incident two nights ago? We are with the Minnesota state police department."

"Sure, come on in." She turned and walked into her house. I turned back to the boys and winked. Mrs. McKay continued speaking, approaching a young boy, "I know you're just doing your job, but the police have been here all week already. I don't see why we have to go through this again. The more he tells the story, the more he believes it's true."

Sam replied, "Mrs. McKay, we know you spoke with the local authorities."

Dean chimed in, "But, uh, this seems like a matter for the state police, so…."

I could tell that the boy was nervous. His mother had obviously condemned what he had been telling people. She had probably told him there was no such thing as monsters and that he was seeing things or making it all up. I bent down to his eye level, touched his shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry about how crazy it sounds, Evan. What you saw was important, and it will really help us find who did this. I will believe whatever you tell me."

"I was up late, watching TV. When I heard this weird noise."

Sam asked patiently, "What did it sound like."

"It sounded like….a monster."

Dean and Sam looked at each other, then at me. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged my shoulders. A frustrated Mrs. McKay told her son, "Tell the officers what you were watching on TV."

"_Godzilla Vs. Mothra_." Evan looked away. I smiled, great flick. Dean got excited, "That's my favorite Godzilla movie. It's so much better than the original, huh?"

"Totally.", Evan smiled back at him.

"Yeah.", then he glared at Sam, "He likes the remake."

"Really?", I looked at Sam

"Yuck", Evan replied. I held my fist out to Evan and he fist bumped back, smiling. Sam cleared his throat, and Dean's expression totally changed. Ah, Sam, all work and no play, "Evan, did you see what this thing was?"

"No. But I saw it grab Mr. Jenkins. It pulled him underneath the car."

I asked this time,"What happened next, bud?"

"It took him away. I heard the monster leaving. It made this really scary sound. Like this…whining growl. " Dean looked over at me and I nodded slowly, this was most definitely panning out to be our type of thing. Sam turned to Mrs. McKay. "Thanks for your time."

Leaving the house Sam turned to Dean, "What do you think?"

"Could be our type of thing, maybe, maybe not."

Sam then looked at me, "Jen, what do you think?"

I was taken aback, Sam being civil? New development. "Are you sure you want to hear my opinion?"

"Yes, you're part of this too."

I almost choked, Dean almost fell on his face, "Ummm...It's a toss up. It could be something, it could be nothing. We don't know enough yet."

Dean, now recovered, "I second that, and why don't we hit up the local bar while we figure it out?"

I smiled, reaching for the car door, "Hey, you know I am in if there is beer and burgers involved."

By 7PM we were checked into the local motel for a few nights and at the local bar called the Kugel's Keg. Sam was nursing a beer, researching. Dean and I were playing a pretty intense game of darts. So far he hadn't been able to beat me.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Just can't hang with me Dean. I think beating you is actually starting not to be fun."

He shook his head, " You're freaking hilarious, how the hell did you get that good?"

"Called perfect practice makes perfect performance.", I smiled and winked at him. He tried so hard to look pissed off at me but couldn't keep his face straight. Sam finally looked up from the newspapers, "Hey guys, so, local police have not ruled out foul play. Apparently, there were signs of a struggle."

"Well, they could be right, it could just be a kidnapping. Maybe this isn't our kind of gig." Dean replied.

I thought for a second, "Maybe not, I think your Dad had marked this area, Dean. Possible grounds for something or another. Took me awhile to remember it, but I am pretty sure it is in there."

I pulled the book from my oversized jacket and tossed it on the table. Sam nodded, "I just saw that too."

Dean's face crinkled, "Why would he even do that?"

Sam opened to the page in the journal, "Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night. Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this too… this county has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state. "

"It is weird." I agreed.

Dean looked confused, "Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds? Jenkins was taken from a parking lot."

Sam shrugged, "Well, there are all kinds. You know, Springhill Jacks, phantom gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime. Look, Dean, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either. "

I rubbed the back of my neck, "You are right, we can ask around in the morning. But for now, I am getting another beer."

Sam took out his wallet, "Right. Maybe we should head back to the motel. I will settle the tab"

"Uh...Hold up, I am getting another beer. Let's have another round."

Sam sighed, "We should get an early start."

I snorted, "Real life of the party, aren't you Sam? You really know how to have a good time."

Dean bumped shoulders with me, "Well Jen, grandma here can't be out past eleven."

Sam smiled. Dean exhales," Alright, I'll meet you outside, I gotta take a leak."

I grabbed my money out of my jacket, "I will wait, I was serious about that beer."

Sam headed outside and Dean went to the bathroom. I got another beer and settled our tab. I leaned on the high table, sipping, waiting. Dean came up behind me, and talked over my shoulder, "You know Jen, I still don't get you. You are twenty years old, your whole life ahead of you and you pick up everything and hit the road with two strange guys. For all you know we could be serial killers."

He smirked.I just shrugged, "There was nothing to pick up Dean. Plus someone gave you guys a good reference so there really wasn't much to think about. Stranger things have happened. And I forgot to tell you that I have a thing for serial killer types."

He laughed. "I will drink to that."

He grabbed my beer and took a swig, it was my turn to laugh, "How about you stop being such a mooch and buy your own?"

"Why, when I have a perfectly good one sitting right here?"

I took the next swig and shook my head. He watched me, "See, you have no problem with it."

"It would take a lot more than that to get between me and my beer." Dean took another swig and I finished the beer off.

"How about one more game?" Dean asked.

"You really are a glutton for punishment."

I bought two more beers. We played one more round and I wiped the floor with him. "Shit, Jen. Seriously, what the hell? Couldn't even give me a shot."

I laughed, "If you don't win fair it's not a win."

I raised my eyebrows quick, and finished my beer. He looked me up and down again. I looked at him too. I would be lying to myself if I said he wasn't attractive. He shook his head, "Alright, we should probably go before Sam get's himself into trouble."

We walked out into the parking lot, it was dark and a group of bikers were heading in the bar. When we got to the Impala, the journal was on the hood and Sam was nowhere in sight, "Dean, he isn't here."

I could see Dean's face go totally blank, the panic setting in. He opened the door to the car. My stomach dropped out. Dean yelled, "Sammy!?"

Where in the hell, "Sam!"

Dean runs over to a drunk biker with a girl hanging on him, "Hey, you guys been outside, around here in the last hour or so? "

They shook their heads.

"Dammit." I yelled again, "Sam!"

Dean was going into full on panic mode. I grabbed his arm and he turned to me, "Dean, we are going to find him."

I look him in the eyes and I can see the doubt. I caught something out of the corner of my eye,

"Look."

I point to the top of the street light. Sitting on top of it is a highway surveillance camera. He shook my hand off and ran toward the street, "Sam!"

He ran into the middle of the highway, spinning maniacally. I had to run out and pull his ass off the street before he got hit, "Jen, we have to go to the police department now and get the surveillance footage."

"No, we are going back to the motel. It's after midnight, they aren't going to be open. And even though I am usually up for some good B and E, we might need the locals help on this one."

"I can't just leave him."

"You aren't, Sam is a big boy and can take care of himself. The best thing we can do is go back to the motel, do some research and get some sleep so that we can get to the sheriff's office right when they open."

He nodded. I held out my hand., "Give me the keys."

The fucked up thing was that he did. I started the Impala and sped off with Dean riding shotgun. He look so distraught and pitiful. I couldn't even imagine having a brother go missing like that, especially with how much Dean cared about Sam.

When we arrived back at the motel I didn't even go to my room, I walked right into theirs with Dean. I grabbed Sam's laptop and sat on the couch. Dean sat on the opposite side with the journal spread out on the table, "Jen, I can't sit around like this."

I grabbed the top of his hand and squeezed, "You aren't", I half smiled, "We are doing this so we know exactly what has him and what we can do to stop it. Sam can take care of himself. He is better equipped to handle this than anyone else."

He squeezed my hand back and turned back to the journal..For hours we sat there in silence. Going back at least 50 years there were an abnormal amount of missing person reports in this area of the state, but that was about it. No schedule, no pattern. By 4 AM Dean was dozing off and spreading out on the couch. I grabbed a cover off the bed and threw it over him. I continued to look through cases. This shit just didn't feel right, at least not in the paranormal sense.

Around six, daylight was just coming through the blinds and I was starting to nod in and out, Dean was snoring lightly. And at quarter to eight when I jerked awake, I had a blanket over me. Dean had already gotten a shower, "You ready to go?"

"Let's go find your brother."

* * *

We arrived at the Sheriff's Department in record time, Dean opened the door and let me in ahead of him. A deputy greeted us from behind the desk, "I'm Deputy Kathleen Bauer, how can I help you two?"

Dean pulled out the fake ID that I had snagged at the bar the other night. She looked over it quickly, "So, what can we do for you, Officer Washington? "

Dean smiled, turning on the charm. "I'm working a missing persons."

"I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police."

"Oh, no. No, there's someone else. Actually, it's my cousin. We were havin' a few last night at this bar down by the highway. And I haven't seen him since. This is his girlfriend, Jen."

When Kathleen looked back down at the desk, I shot Dean a look, and he smirked. Asshole. "Does your cousin have a drinking problem?"

Dean chuckled, "Sam? Two beers and he's doin' karaoke. No, he wasn't drunk. He was taken."

Kathleen sat down at her computer and gestured toward the chair opposite, Dean looked at me and gestured for me to sit down. As I passed him he hissed in my ear, "You need to act a little more upset."

I gave him another look and rolled my eyes. Kathleen had pulled up some missing person thing on her computer, I wasn't exactly sure what she was using, "Alright. What's his name?"

"Winchester. Sam Winchester.", I said making my voice shaky.

"Like the rifle?"

"Like the rifle." Dean replied.

His name popped up on the screen and she clicked on it. A picture of Sam's California license came up, "Samuel Winchester. So, you know that his brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis. And, uh, was suspected of murder."

Oh, dear God do not let her click on his DMV photo. Dean swallowed hard, it was my turn to chuckled uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah, Dean. Kind of the black sheep of the family. Handsome, though."

"I don't know, I always thought he was kind of an ass." I said.

Kathleen looked between both of us.

"Uh-huh," she continued to type on the computer, "Well, he's not showing up in any current field reports. "

Dean spoke, "Oh, I already have a lead. I saw a surveillance camera by the highway."

"The county traffic cam?"

Dean nodded, "Right. Yeah. I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took him. Or, whoever."

"Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the county works department, but—well, anyhow, let's do this the right way." She got up and rifled through the filing cabinet, pulling out papers.

"Why don't you fill out a missing persons report and sit tight over here?"

She handed Dean the clipboard and a pen, "Officer, look, uh, he's family. I kind of—I kind of look out for the kid. You gotta let me go with you."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Dean slammed his hand on the desk, "Well, tell me something. Your county has its fair share of missing persons. Any of 'em come back? Sam's my responsibility. And he's comin' back. I'm bringin' him back."

She set her jaw and looked at him. It was my turn, "Please officer."

She sighed. Then nodded.

Half an hour later we were sitting on a bench outside the County Works Department. Dean was leaning forward with his head in his hands. I was leaning back, legs crossed and arm behind him on the back of the bench. He was focused on the task at hand but he was distraught.

"Dean, it is going to be fine. The camera will turn up something."

"I hope so or we are back to where we started, dick."

He rubbed his face and looked up at me. I moved my hand to his shoulder and shoved playfully, "Always the debbie downer. I'm not going to stop until we find your brother."

He laughed and put one hand on my knee and squeezed. My breath caught, "Thanks, Jen."

"Yeah Dean. Anytime. That's what friends are for."

"Greg, Jen!" We both jumped and he stood up. Kathleen was rushing over with a stack of papers, "I think we've got something."

She handed Dean the printouts and he passed them to me as he looked over them. She kept talking, "These traffic cams take an image every three seconds, as part of the Amber Alert program. These images were all taken around the time that your cousin, Sam, disappeared."

"This really isn't what I'm looking for." Dean said.

"Just wait, wait..next one." When he flipped to the next shot there was a picture of a rusty old truck driving away.

"This one was taken right after Sam left the bar. Look at the back end of that thing. Now, look at the plates." Dean flips another page and there is a close up of the truck's license plates.

"The plates look new, they are probably stolen." I pointed out. Kathleen nodded. "So, whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved."

A sound behind us made both Dean and I look. A beaten up old van was driving by and the engine was whining bad. Dean looked at the Deputy, "Hear that engine?"

"Yeah." She replied.

"Kind of a whining growl, isn't it?"

Kathleen shrugged, confused, "Sure, I guess so"

I watched the van as it drove around the corner.

"I'll be damned." He said.

"Son of a bitch." I said as I looked at Dean who nodded back at me.

* * *

Miles away Sam had woken up in a cage, and there was a man in the one next to him, unconscious. It was dark, dirty and smelt like wet hay. For hours Sam had been trying to kick down the door of his cage. But it never budged. The other guy groaned. Sam was relieved, "You're alive. Hey, you okay?"

The man snapped, "Does it look like I'm doin' okay?"

Sam just remained calm, trying to figure what the hell was happening, "Where are we?"

"I don't know. The country, I think. Smells like the country."

Well all of northern Minnesota is country. Sam looked at the man again, recognition setting in, "You're Alvin Jenkins, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

Sam sighed, "I was lookin' for you."

Jenkins snorted, "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, no offense, but this is a piss-poor rescue."

"Well, my brother and his friend are out there right now, too. They are lookin' for us. So—"

Jenkins leaned up against the back of the cage, "So, he's not gonna find us. We're in the middle of for them to come back and do God-knows-what to us."

"What are they? Have you seen them?" Sam needed to know how to kill the monster in order to get them the hell out of here in one piece.

"What are you talking about?"

"Whatever's got us, what'd they look like?"

"See for yourself." The door opened and two men wearing black coats and hats walk in. One man walks over to Jenkins' cage and kicks the side of it. The other man headed to a panel of buttons attached to a wall. He inserts a key into the panel and twists it. Jenkins' cage unlocked. They tossed a plate of food at him which he devoured almost instantly. They locked the cage again and left. Sam scoffed, "I'll be damned. They're just people."

Jenkins chowed down on his food, "Yeah. What'd you expect?"

"How often do they feed you?"

"Once a day. And they use that thing over there to open the cage." He pointed to the panel on the wall.

"And that's the only time you see them?"

"So far. But I'm waitin'."

Sam looked at him, confused, "Waitin' for what?"

"Ned Beatty time, man."

Sam chuckled and started following the wiring with his eyes, "I think that's the least of your worries right now."

"Oh, yeah? " Jenkins questioned.

"Yeah. I do"

"What do you think they want, then?"

Sam reached through the top of the cage and grabbed the metal tubing that held the wiring together. He tried to pull it down but it wouldn't budge.

"It depends on who they are." Sam replied to Jenkins' question.

Jenkins tossed his empty plate to the front, "They're a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks, if you ask me. Lookin' for love in all the wrong places."

Sam continued to pull on the wire and the brackets holding it to the wall began to come loose.

* * *

We were in the patrol car, Dean was riding shotgun and I was back behind the mesh bars. We had just passed the bar where Sam had gone missing. Kathleen spoke, "Okay, the next traffic cam is fifty miles from here, and the pickup didn't pass that one, so…. "

Dean finished, "So, it must've pulled off somewhere. I didn't see any other roads here or on any maps."

"Well, a lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads."

"Fan-freaking-tastic." I shook my head. This was ridiculous. Hunting monsters was one thing but monsters in the middle of the backwoods driving a rust bucket was another. Dean was annoyed as well,

"Great.", was all he said and he looked out the window. Kathleen's computer beeped, she read it and I watched her. Her face got tight and concerned, "So, Gregory."

Dean turned to look at her, "Yeah?"

"I ran your badge number. It's routine when we're working a case with state police. For accounting purposes and what have you."

"Mmhmm."

"And, uh, they just got back to me.", She pulled the car on the shoulder, I had a bad feeling about where this was going, "It says here your badge was stolen. And there's a picture of you."

She turned the computer so that Dean and I could see it. Shit. It was a picture of a heavy-set African American man. Dean chuckled uncomfortably, "I lost some weight. And I got that Michael Jackson skin disease."

Kathleen took off her seatbelt and reached for her gun. Shit, no door handles back here, "Okay, would you step out of the car, please?"

Dean held up his hands, "Look, look, look. If you wanna arrest me, that's fine. I'll cooperate , I swear. But, first, please...let me find Sam."

"I don't even know who you are. Or if this Sam person is missing. Or who the hell she is."

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this. "

"Identity theft? You're impersonating an officer.", She looked to the back seat, " And you are an accessory."

I raised my hands and leaned back into the seat. There was nothing I could do now, just hope that he could get us outta this mess. Dean was desperate now, "Look, here's the thing. When we were young, I pretty much pulled him from a fire. And ever since then, I've felt responsible for him. Like it's my job to keep him safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find him fast...please."

His voice broke, "He's my family."

I waited for a moment. The tension was thick, she was deciding how the hell to handle Dean, "I'm sorry. You've given me no choice. I have to take you in…"

She glanced quickly at her visor where there was a picture of her and a young man, " After we find Sam Winchester."

She took her hand off her gun and fastened her seatbelt again. I sighed and relaxed. Dean was still on edge. He glanced quickly back at me and I gave him a thumbs up. For a few hours more we drove up the highway, looking for any fresh tire tracks, or any signs of people for that matter. The few people who Kathleen questioned were upstanding citizens with nothing to hide. When darkness began to set in, she turned back towards town, "I am going to take you two back to your hotel. We will start again in the morning because these woods get kind of dangerous at night."

"But we have to keep looking for Sam", Dean said, "Aren't like the first 24 hours critical."

I stayed quiet in the backseat, honestly I was just happy I wasn't sitting in a jail cell at the moment. Kathleen looked at him sternly, "I am going to drop you two off. You are going to stay put. I will have an officer checking in throughout the night to make sure that you are still there. We will start-up again at daybreak."

With that we drove the miles back to the hotel in complete silence.

* * *

Sam was still trying to work through the wiring, but without any tools it was almost hopeless. Jenkins spoke, "What's your name, again?"

"It's Sam."

"Why don't you give it up, Sammy, there's no way out."

"Don't….call me….Sammy!" He grunts and the coil finally breaks and a piece of metal falls with picks it up and looks at it.

"What is it?" Jenkins pressed his face against the bars, trying to see what was happening.

"It's a bracket."

"Well, thank God, a bracket. Now we've got 'em, huh?" Jenkins said sarcastically. Suddenly, Jenkins' cage door unlocks itself and swings open, "Must've been you knocked somethin' loose."

He climbed out and looked around. Am knew that something wasn't right, "I think you should get back in there, Jenkins."

"What?"

"This isn't right."

"Don't you wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah. But that was too easy."

Jenkins started cracking the door open, looking out into the rain, "Look, I'm gonna get out of here, and I'm gonna send help, okay, don't worry."

"No, I'm serious. Jenkins—this might be a trap."

"Bye, Sammy." He pushed open the door and left.

"Jenkins!" Sam yelled, panicking. He could hear Jenkins leave. Minutes passed in silence and then he heard the unmistakable sound of Jenkins screaming, dying in the distance.

* * *

Dean paced back and forth in the motel room, annoyed, "Let's just go Jen."

"Do you want your ass in a jail cell? And what is going to happen if she runs your prints? You will be in supermax faster than you can ask for a lawyer. We need to stay put and you need some sleep." I was sitting at the top of his bed cross-legged. He uncapped a beer and threw one at me. I caught it, popped the top and took a swig. Dean sat beside me, stewing and pissed. He looked over at me.

"You don't understand. He isn't your brother."

"I understand perfectly. But I also know that we can't do him any good from the inside of a cell."

I took another swig of my beer and he kept looking at me. I looked back, watching his body language, trying to figure him out. I wish I knew what was going through his head because I knew he was bound to do something stupid.

He moved quickly and grabbed me behind my neck and pressed his lips against mine, hard, but not aggressive, desperate. I was caught off guard, confused. But his mouth encouraged mine and I kissed him back and after a few moments he pulled away. I was breathless and my heart was skipping, my stomach had bottomed out. Dean held on to my chin, searching my eyes. I didn't know what to do, just searched his eyes, trying to figure out why. He pulled my chin to his face and kissed me quickly again, not giving me time to respond. Then he got up and stared out the window. And as quickly as it had begun it was over.

What do you know, I was right about him doing something stupid.

* * *

That night I don't think either of us slept. I just curled up on my side and laid there. Dean sat at the table and stared out the window. A few minutes before dawn Dean threw me the keys to the Impala, "In case things don't go our way I want you to trail me and the deputy. If you see any way of saving Sam, do it. I will get you out if you get into a jam."

I nodded, "Alrighty"

Within the hour Dean had been picked up by the deputy. I waited until he texted me where they were and then left in the Impala. I parked across the street from where Dean had jumped out to get them coffee. They were talking outside of the car. I waited, thinking. I had no idea what Dean wanted from me, and even though I had prepared myself for that possibility, there was no way to predict how completely confused I was now. I needed to push this aside and focus on the problem at hand, finding Sam. But that little voice in the back of my head just wouldn't let it go.

* * *

Dean handed Kathleen a cup of coffee. He was relieved that he had been able to temporarily ditch Jen. He hadn't known what he was doing last night, he acted on impulse, and he knew there was a good chance that he had just ruined their friendship. He needed a distraction because he didn't know what he wanted, "Hey, Officer? Look, I don't mean to press my luck."

"Your luck is so pressed."

"Right. I was wondering...why are you helping me out, anyway? Why don't you just lock me up?"

She sighed and then spoke quietly, "My brother, Riley, disappeared three years ago. A lot like Sam. We searched for him, but nothing. I know what it's like to feel responsible for someone, and for them...Come on. Let's keep at it."

They drove past where they had been the previous day. It was still looking pretty hopeless. Then Dean saw tracks in the mud, "Wait, wait, wait...pull over here. Pull over. It's the first turn-off I've seen so far with fresh tire tracks."

They got out of the car. Kathleen put her hand on her gun and started walking up the dirt path, "You stay here, I'll check it out."

"No way."

"You're a civilian. And a felon, I think. I'm not taking you with me."

Dean got cocky, "You're not goin' without me."

"Alright. You promise you won't get involved? You'll let me handle it?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Shake on it then." She extended her hand, Dean shook it and she slapped the handcuffs on his wrist.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on."

She drug him over and handcuffed him to the door handle, "This is ridiculous. Kathleen, I really think you're gonna need my help."

"I'll manage. Thank you." She locked the door and walked away.

"Damn, I gotta start carrying paper clips."

The deputy walked up the road where she passed rundown buildings. She walked up to the shitty house and knocked on the door, "Hello? Anybody home?"

A mangled girl comes to the door, "Hi. Who are you?"

"I'm, uh, I'm Kathleen. I'm a deputy. What's your name?"

"Missy."

"Missy. That's a pretty name. Missy, is your mom home? "

The girl looked up under her greasy hair at the deputy, "She's dead."

"I'm sorry. What about your dad?""

Missy shook her head,

"No? Can I come in for a minute?" Missy shakes her head again and starts moving for the door, Kathleen follows, "I just want you to look at a picture. Have you seen that guy? Look at that picture."

It was a picture of Sam. The girl looks behind Kathleen and smirks,

"What?", the deputy asks.

"That's gonna hurt."

The deputy turns in time to see a tall man who was just as messy swing a shovel at her head. The world went dark for Kathleen.

* * *

I pulled the Impala off the road about a mile behind where I could see the patrol car and jogged up to it. I couldn't help but smirk. Dean was struggling with handcuffs, "How about a little help?"

"Nah, I kind of like you like that." I winked but started digging around in my pockets. We both snapped our heads around at the rumble of an engine.

"Oh, son of a bitch", Dean said.

"Hold on a sec." I untwisted the antenna on the car and undid his cuffs. We ducked into the woods just as a rust bucket pulled up the way and beside the patrol car. These two hillbilly, redneck, looking mofos giggle and walk up to the car. I mean think backwoods and multiply it by ten and you are still not even close to how inbred these two looked. I elbowed Dean, "No branches on the family tree?"

He laughed under his breath. We could hear them talking to each other...

"Well, I've never seen him so angry before."

"Well, Lee, never been followed by the police before."

They get into the car and pull down the way. Dean and I start hightailing it through the woods, hoping that we can find Sam and the deputy.

* * *

Kathleen woke up to the inside of a cage. She heard a voice next to her, "You alright?"

She looked him over quickly, "Are you Sam Winchester?"

"Yeah."

"Your, uh, your cousin and girlfriend are looking for you." She rubbed the back of her head, still a little dazed from the blow.

Sam was relieved, "Thank God. Where are they?"

"I, uh...I cuffed him to my car. I don't know where she is." Sam sighed, hoping that they were still on their way.

* * *

We came around back through the woods. Beside the house there were junk cars and there was a shambled barn a ways out. Dean jutted his head to the barn and I nodded. He ran out and I trailed closely behind, staying steps splashed in the puddles and the mud soaked through our clothes. Dean and I entered the barn. It was disgusting and Dean kept making faces. He saw Sam in his cage.

"Sam?" Dean asks and Sam smiled, "Are you hurt?"

"No. It's good to see you two though."

I started looking at the locks on the cages, seeing how hard it was going to be to spring Sam.

Kathleen spoke up, "How did you get out of the cuffs?"

I turned, "He had a little help, and I know a trick or two. Hey Dean these locks are going to be a bitch. It looks electronic."

Sam pointed, "Well, there's some kind of automatic control right there."

Dean went over to the box, "Have you seen 'em?"

Sam scoffed, "Yeah. Dude, they're just people."

Dean gave him a questioning look, "And they jumped you? Must be gettin' a little rusty there, kiddo."

I walked over to the panel, Dean just started pressing buttons. I slapped his hand away and looked at it. You definitely needed a key to operate this, or a shit load of time and supplies we didn't have. Dean turned back to Sam, "What do they want?"

"I don't know. They let Jenkins go, but that was some sort of trap. It doesn't make any sense to me."

I scoffed, "That's the point. This won't make sense. With our usual playmates there are rules, patterns."

"People are just crazy." Dean said.

Sam started speaking again, "See anything else out there?"

"Uh, he has about a dozen junked cars hidden out back. Plates from all over, so I'm thinkin' when they take someone, they take their car, too." Dean replied.

Kathleen grabbed the bars, "Did you see a black Mustang out there? About ten years old?"

Dean thought for a second, "Yeah, actually, I did."

She looked down.

"Your brother's?", she nodded, "I'm sorry."

I looked at them all, "First let's get you guys out of here, then we'll take care of those bastards. This thing takes a key. Key? "

Sam shook his head, "I don't know."

Dean said, "Alright, I better go find it." He turned to leave, I followed but before we got to far I heard Sam, "Hey, be careful."

All he got from Dean was a ,"Yeah."

We trotted over to the house and jumped down in a basement window. I grabbed a flashlight out of my pocket and flipped it on, Dean did the same. There were shelves lined with jars and bottles that contained tons of different body parts; hearts, livers, intestines, you name it and it was there. Dean picked up a jar, "Yikes."

I kept searching until I found a board lined with Polaroids, "Pst, look at this."

They were pictures upon pictures of this family taking trophy shots with humans, the last one was of those two that had grabbed the car holding Jenkins.

" I'll say it again. Demons I get. People are crazy." Dean said.

We moved to a flight of stairs, each one creaked as we ascended but there was old music playing loudly above. As we opened the door and walk across the floor Dean bumps into a wind chime and we both freeze, not daring to breathe. I hold out a chime for him to see.

"What the hell?" Dean hissed. The windchime was made from rib-bones. Dean picked up a wooden pole leaning against the wall and we followed the wall along the house. I tap him and point toward an ashtray filled with keys. I look around the corner and see an old man butchering meat. I can only assume it is Jenkins. I make a face at Dean and he raises his eyebrows and starts digging for the key. He picked up a jar of teeth next to the tray and points at it, I shake my head. We both hear the floor creek behind us and whip around. A nasty looking girl was standing in front of us. Dean holds his index finger to his lips, "Shh. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you."

She pulls out a knife, "I know...Daddy!" she yells and tries to stab Dean. I grab her arm and deflect it.

"Jeez." Dean said.

I pull the knife out of her hand and she yells again, "Daddy!"

"Shut the fuck up kid."

The two boys come rushing down the stairs. One grabs Dean under the arms and the other comes after me. Dean kicks the one who has me in the back, causing his grip to loosen but not before I am whipped to the floor and lose the knife. Dean is slammed into the wall. I come up punching one in the face, knocking him over but the other one throws me across the room..

I hear Dean struggling to his feet," I'm gonna kick your ass first. Then yours."

I see the old man coming up behind him and before I can get the words out he hits Dean over the head with a frying pan. The two boys grab me and I try to fight them off but the girl shoves the knife into my side, ripping forward and a fist collides upward with my jaw and everything goes black.

As I am coming out of it I can feel my hands tied behind my back, my side is warm and sticky and I can hear Dean groaning. The one boy says to the old man, "Come on. Let us hunt them."

The other chimed in, "Yeah these two are fighters. Sure would be fun to hunt."

The older man laughs. Dean mumbled, "Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me. That's what this is about? You...you yahoos hunt people?"

The old man grabbed Dean by the hair, "You ever killed before?"

"Wh-" Dean laughs," Well, that depends on what you mean."

The old man replied, "I've hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once. Oh boy. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful, alive."

"You're a sick puppy." I started to try to work on the ropes, but I was still woozy.

"We give 'em a weapon. Give 'em a fightin' chance. It's kind of like our tradition passed down, father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we never been that sloppy."

I shook my head, "You guys are plenty sloppy. Don't sell yourself short."

The old man looked at Dean again, "Are you and this pretty lady here cops?"

Dean snickers, "If I tell you, you promise not to make me into an ashtray? "

The one boy comes over and punches Dean in the face. The old man grabs Dean's hair again, forcing his face upwards, "Only reason I don't let my boys take you right here and now is that there's somethin' I need to know."

He grabbed a hot poker out of the fireplace. It was glowing. I laughed, "What? That you need to branch out and not marry your sister?"

He was pissed, "Tell me...any of the cops gonna come lookin' for you? "

"Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait, wait...you actually might" Dean replied and one boy grabbed my hair and pulled my head into place I couldn't move, the poker was inches from my face. I struggled hard against them. Dean looked over, horrified.

The old man was yelling, "You think this is funny? You brought this down on my family."

And with that he placed the poker on the base of my neck. I bit down so that I wouldn't scream. The smell of burning flesh was sickening. Dean struggled against his old man pulled back,"Alright, you wanna play games? We'll play some games. Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all, boys."

He looked at Dean, "And you get to pick the animal. The boy or the cop?"

"Okay, wait, wait...look, nobody's comin' for us, alright? It's just us."

"You don't choose, I will." He placed the hot poker below the last mark and just held it there, close enough to burn but not to sear through. As he pushed harder I couldn't stop the scream.

Dean yelled, "You son of a bitch!"

"Next time, I'll take her eye"

"Alright, the guy, the guy! Take the guy!" Everything was a little foggy around the edges, but I saw the old man grab a key from around his neck and throw it to one of the boys.

"Lee, go do it. Don't let him out, though. Shoot him in the cage."

Dean was enraged, "What? I thought you said you were gonna hunt him. You were gonna give him a chance. "

"Lee, when you're done with the boy shoot the bitch, too. Better clean this mess up before any more cops come runnin' out here. I will take care of these two."

Seconds later we heard the shot from a rifle. Dean struggled harder against the ties, "You hurt my brother, I'll kill you, I swear. I'll kill you all. I will kill you all!"

The old man yells out the front door, "Lee!"

There is no response. He turns to the other boy, "Jared, you come with me. Missy, you watch them now."

He grabs a few rifles and runs out the door. Missy holds the knife close to Dean's face but keeps a wary eye on me. I can feel my hands loosening the ropes behind me. We hear gunshots from the barn again and Dean struggles more against his bounds. I move my foot backwards and grab the knife out of my boot, work the ropes and I am free. I move fast, grab the girl and put my hand over her mouth, dragging her to a nearby closet that I shut her in. I push a bookcase in front of it for good measure. I stumbled forward.

"Jen! You alright?"

"Yeah, my head's a little fuzzy." I walked over and tried to bend over to cut the ropes, but I more crumpled and fell. The wound in my side and the probable concussion were taking its toll. I cut through the ropes. The second Dean was free he fell to his knees beside me and pulled my head up with both hands and examined my face, "You are going to be okay, we need to go get Sam and get the hell out of here."

"Okay" He pulled me to my feet and we sprinted out of the house, and ran headlong into Sam.

Dean grabbed his shoulders, looking him over and then pulled him into a bear hug. I jump at the sound of a lone and final gunshot. Sam and Dean exchange glances. The deputy had finished unfinished business. We walk down the porch steps as we see Kathleen walking out of the barn. She looks at all of us, "Where's the girl?"

"I locked her in a closet."

Dean jutted his head toward the barn, "What about the dad?"

The deputy thought for a moment, "Shot. Trying to escape custody."

We all exchanged looks. The guy had it coming, these were definitely some sick people. And if the situation was reversed and it had been my sibling, well, he had actually gotten off pretty easy. I would have tortured him for a few days before leaving him to the wolves. Kathleen was on her radio calling the situation in, a voice cracked back over.

"Backup unit en route to your location."

She walked over to where we were standing, "So, state police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna wanna talk to you. I suggest that you're all long gone by then."

Dean nodded, "Thanks. Hey, listen, I don't mean to press our luck, but we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride a few miles back to our car?"

Kathleen shook her head, "Start walking. Duck if you see a squad car."

Sam started to turn to walk Dean turned one last time to the deputy, "Listen, uh….I'm sorry about your brother."

"Thank you. It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth...but it isn't , you should go."

We started walking at a good clip down the road. I had my hand putting pressure on my side, it stung but the pain was clearing my head up. Suddenly Dean said, "Never do that again."

"Do what?", Sam asked

"Go missin' like that."

Sam laughed, "You were worried about me."

Dean ignored the comment, "All I'm sayin' is, you vanish like that again, I'm not lookin' for you."

"Sure, you won't. "

"I'm not."

Sam chuckled and I laughed, it hurt so much that I doubled over, shit. Mental note. Don't laugh for awhile. Dean grabbed my shoulder and pulled me upright again. Sam glanced at us, "So, you two got sidelined by a thirteen-year-old girl, huh?"

"Oh, shut up." Dean snapped

Sam playfully shoved Dean's shoulder, "Just sayin', gettin' rusty there, kiddo."

"Shut up." Dean responded gruffly, I laughed again. This time hard enough for me to fall onto my knees from the pain. Dean pulled me up again from under my right arm. His hand stayed firmly there this time, holding me steady. "Jesus, Jen. What the hell are we going to do with you?"

We eventually got to the Impala. I collapsed in the back seat and Dean drove us back to the motel. We got out and without even asking, I joined them in their room, "What do you guys got for stitches?"

Sam reached into his bag and threw me a homemade first aid kit. Inside was fishing line and a curved needle. I pulled off clothes down to my tank-top and pulled up the back left side. Right above and slightly behind my left hip was the stab. It probably wouldn't have even needed stitches if the bitch wouldn't have sliced forward. It also didn't help that I was extremely right-handed. I grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of my bag and poured it on. Dean was watching me with raised eyebrows, sitting on THAT bed, sipping on a beer as I tried to reach around to start stitching.

"Let me help you out.", he said as he got up.

"No.", I said sternly. Sam looked between us both.

"Come here." he prodded again.

"Absolutely not." I dared him to do something about it with my gaze. Sam cleared his throat "Did I miss something?"

"No." I snapped as I turned away and tried to start stitching again. But the damn thing was in such an awkward spot. Dean came up behind me and grabbed my arm firmly. I glared, "I swear I will shoot you."

"No you won't." He said as he shoved me toward the bed, "If you lay down I can stitch it a hell of a lot better and it will be cleaner."

"Freaking-ay." I mumbled, as he lightly shoved me. I was losing the battle and I did need help. I laid down on my stomach, face in a pillow. I could feel my face turning red. He pulled the corner of my shirt up and looked it over. I knew he was seeing years worth of scars. He pulled the shirt up a little further and shoved the top of my jeans down a little. I felt my ears turn red and there was no way I could hide that. Dean chuckled under his breath, "Calm yourself."

"I'm fine."

"Liar." He whispered and continued to stitch. I could feel each time the needle pierced through my skin. It was uncomfortable, but I was so used to it that it didn't even phase me. It made me no where near as uncomfortable as Dean's one hand holding my skin steady near the small of my back. I peaked over to the side once and caught his eye. His lips twitched, suppressing a smile . He was enjoying himself way too much. It was the most humiliating twenty minutes of my life.

When he was done I got up quickly, trying to maintain some dignity. Sam had already packed up.

"Are you guys ready to get the hell out of this town?", Sam asked.

"Definitely!", I replied.


	6. Shadow

**A/N: Revised 4/12/15**

A few days had passed on the road since we had left Hibbing. We had all taken turns driving and I was now riding shotgun looking at newspaper articles while Sam snored in the backseat.

Dean turned down the radio, "You have been awful quiet the last few days."

"I don't have anything to say, really." I continued to skim the papers.

"Come on Jen, how are the stitches feeling?" He asked and my body stiffened at the memory of his hands. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his confusion and then the obvious smirk. Asshat.

"Fine." I said simply. To myself I thought, well if you wouldn't have made this confusing and awkward for me Dean, then I would have more to say. I was left wondering if we would ever talk about what had happened at the motel. The possibilities running through my head were probably way worse than reality. I just wanted to know why, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of bringing it up. Nope, the proverbial ball was in his court. Dean sighed and changed the subject, "Find anything yet?"

"Not really, there is this one thing in Chicago."

"Well that's only a couple hours away. What is it?"

I read what I had, "A girl murdered in her apartment after walking home from the bar. Windows locked, door locked, no signs of forced entry and the alarm system is still intact and set."

"How long ago?"

"Almost a week. But they didn't find the body until a couple of days ago once she didn't show up for work for a few days."

"Alright, let's get there and see what we can get done."

Two hours later we were sitting outside of one of the police stations. Sam was finally awake. "Sam? Do you and Jen want to go to the apartment and see what it looks like and I will take a look at the body?"

Sam nodded, "Sure, but don't you want to see the apartment too?"

"We can cover more ground if we split up. I will catch up with you guys later." He tossed Sam the keys and got out of the car with a suit to change to and walked toward a building where he could. Sam started up the engine and we headed toward the girl's apartment, Sam spoke, "What's gotten in to him?"

"I have no idea. Someone must have pissed in his wheaties or something." I just looked out the window.

"He just seems frustrated, usually he really jokes around and stuff but, I don't know, he has been moody."

I scoffed, "Tell me about it."

We parked in front of the girls apartment and did a quick change into service uniforms for the alarm company. Sam pulled a toolbox out of the trunk and handed it to me. We walked in and explained to the building landlady that we needed to see the room to see what went wrong with the alarm system and she lead us to the room. The landlady unlocked the door, "Well, the police said they were done with the place, so... You guys said you were with the alarm company?"

"Yes." I replied distracted. I saw that the chain on the door was broken and on the carpet there was blood spatter everywhere. It didn't look like a normal stabbing. The blood was strewn around everywhere with very little pooling. This was an attack, not a robbery.

"Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man"

I suppressed a smile and Sam and I exchanged a not to laugh I replied, "Well, that's why we're here. To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again."

Sam asked, "Now, ma'am, you found the body?"

"Yeah."

"Right after it happened?", Sam inquired.

"No. Few days later. Meredith's work called, she hadn't shown up. I knocked on the door. That's when I noticed the smell."

Yummy, "Were there any windows left open, any signs of a break in? The usual?"

"No, windows were locked, front door was bolted. Chain was on the door, we had to cut it just to get in."

"And the alarm was still on?" Sam asked.

She glared at Sam, "Like I said, bang-up job your company's doin'. "

"Any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of struggle? " I asked, still looking around at the mess.

She shook her head, " Everything was in perfect condition. Except Meredith."

Sam spoke, "And what condition was Meredith in? "

"Meredith was all over. In pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of a whack job. But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said a wild animal did it."

Sam and I exchanged glances before he asked her the final question. I cleared my throat, "Ma'am, do you mind if we take some time? Give this place a once-over?"

"Oh, well, go right ahead. Knock yourself out. " With that she left us alone in the room. We looked around.

"Sam, this is insane. She had to be all over the place for the blood to be like this."

"I know.", his phone rang.

"Dean?... Yeah we are still here." and hung up.

"What was that about?"

"He said he is on his way up." I dug in the toolbox and had just pulled out an EMF meter when Dean opened the door up.

"Holy shit." was all he said as he started to look around. I broke the silence, "Alright so the killer walks into the apartment, no weapons, no prints, no anything and rips the girl to pieces."

"Definitely our kind of gig." Sam replied. The EMF meter in my hand was going insane. Dean grabbed it out of my hand and held it up, "I think I would have to agree with you."

"So, you talked to the cops?" Sam asked.

"Uh, yeah... " He smirks, "I spoke to Amy, a, uh, charming, perky officer of the law."

"Yeah? What'd you find out? "

"Well, she's a Sagittarius. She loves tequila, I mean...wow. Oh, and she's got this little tattoo— " I shook my head. Dean would flirt with anything with a pulse, that was for sure. Sam was annoyed, "Dean!"

"What? Yeah. Uh, nothin' we don't already know. Except for one thing they're keepin' out of the papers."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Meredith's heart was missing."

I was confused, "Her heart?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah. Her heart."

Sam looked over at Dean, " So, what do you think did it to her?"

"Well," I said, "the landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe it was—werewolf?"

Sam shook his head, "No, no werewolf, the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace. It's probably a spirit."

Dean was looking at the blood spatter closely and as I watched him, I started to see it too.

Dean snapped his fingers at Sam, "See if you can find any masking tape around. "

Sam found some in a drawer and for the next fifteen minutes we watched as Dean played connect the dots. When he was done the tape made a funky symbol that faintly resembled a Z.

"Ever see that symbol before?" Sam asked.

"Never. " Dean answered.

I shook my head, "Neither have I."

We all stood there a moment in the quiet. Dean and I made eye contact and he stood up.

"Well when in doubt, let's start where she was last seen. Lucky for us, that's a bar."

.

* * *

Later that night we were sitting at the bar the girl had last been seen at. Sam was going through stuff on his laptop and I was sitting with him shuffling through books and papers. In all honestly, I was doing more drinking than anything else. Plus I was really watching Dean flirt with the bartender. In all honesty, I normally wasn't pissy, jealous or even territorial, especially when I had no right to. But Dean was just being, well, confusing. He made the move and then just sidelined me.

"What's wrong Jen?" Sam pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Nothing, just working on the case."

"Bull, you have been crabby since we left Hibbing. What's going on?"

I looked up, "Sam, it is really nothing I'm just thinking."

"You have only been with us for almost two weeks and I can tell that you are brooding, not thinking. Plus you have been watching Dean flirt with the bartender. I know for a fact that isn't that interesting."

I shook my head and refused to talk. Sam sighed, "I know my brother, what did he do?"

Before I could come up with a viable answer, Dean came over to the booth we were sitting in and gestured for me to move over. Grudgingly, I obliged. He put his arm on the back behind me. Sam was watching my face as Dean began to talk, "I talked to the bartender."

Sam snorted, "Did you get anything? Besides her number?"

"Dude, I'm a professional. I'm offended that you would think that."

Sam gave Dean a knowing look

"All right, yeah." He chuckles and holds up a napkin with the bartender's phone number on it and tosses it on the table.

"You mind doin' a little bit of thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean? " Sam asked. Internally, I seconded that.

"Look, there's nothing to find out. I mean, Meredith worked here, she waited tables, everyone here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so...what about that symbol, you guys find anything?"

"Nope, nothing. It wasn't in Dad's journal or in any of the usual books."

"I checked some books with older sigils and stuff in it and can't find a damn thing. " I added.

Dean fumbled through some of the pages, "Well, there was a first victim, right? Before Meredith?"

"Yeah." I said as I reached across the table and pulled a newspaper from under the mess and flipped through until I found it, "His name was, uh...his name was Ben Swardstrom. Last month he was found mutilated in his townhouse. Same deal as the girl. The door was locked, the alarm was on. Looked like an animal attack except in the middle of a heavy populated area. Police are calling it a robbery gone bad. But we dug up some of the crime scene photos and it looks like an animal attack."

I handed the paper to Dean. He looked it over quickly, "Is there any connection between the two of them? "

I shook my head, "None that I can find."

Sam chimed in, "Ben was a banker, Meredith was a waitress. They never met, never knew anyone in common. They were practically from different worlds."

Dean smirks, "So, to recap, the only successful intel we've scored so far is the bartender's phone number."

I rolled my eyes. Sam shook his head and then whipped around. Dean and I both saw it and started to look around.

"What?" Dean asks. Sam gets up and starts to push across the room. Dean looks at me and I shrug my shoulders.

"Sam?" Dean calls again and gets up to follow him. I push all the stuff from the table in a pile and grab it. I notice that the napkin with the number was forgotten on the table and make sure to leave that there. By the time I turn I see Sam grab the shoulder of a blonde with short hair and start talking to her. They recognize each other. She stands up and gives him a hug. I walked toward them but hung back. By the time I am in earshot she is talking again…

"...where are they? "

"Well, they're not here right now, but what about you, Meg? I thought you were goin' to California."

"Oh, I did. I came, I saw, I conquered. Oh, and I met what's-his-name, something Michael Murray at a bar."

Sam raised his eyebrows, "Who?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while." Dean cleared his throat behind Sam, but both Sam and Meg ignored him.

"You're from Chicago?" Sam asked.

"No, Massachusetts...Andover. Gosh, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?"

"Yeah, I know, I thought I'd never see you again."

She touches his arm, "Well, I'm glad you were wrong. "

Sam nodded and Dean cleared his throat again, louder. Meg turned on him, "Dude, cover your mouth."

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean."

Meg looked shocked, "This is Dean?"

"Yeah." Sam said sheepishly

Dean smiles, "So, you've heard of me?"

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of you. Nice..the way you treat your brother like luggage."

Dean looked from Sam to Meg, confused, "Sorry?"

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God's green earth."

Sam jumps in, "Meg, it's all right."

Dean whistles lowly, "Okay, awkward. I'm gonna get a drink now."

When Dean turns he almost runs into me, "Sorry."

He was really pissed off. I followed him to the bar and we both ordered a beer. I just looked straight ahead into the mirror behind the bottles, waiting. I caught Dean's eye in the mirror. He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled, "What the hell was that about?"

I turned and saw Sam and Meg still talking, "I don't know but we will find out later."

"Who the hell does that bitch even think she is?" He scoffed, "I treat Sam like luggage?"

I pushed his shoulder, "Don't worry about it man. It could be worse, you could be treating him like garbage."

He smiled and shook his head. We were almost finished with our beers when Sam came up behind us, "Let's go. Now."

As we were walking out, all hell broke loose. Dean pulled Sam around, "Who the hell was she?"

Sam shrugged, "I don't really know. I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird."

"And what was she saying? I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitchin' about me to some chick? "

"Look, I'm sorry, Dean. It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana. But that's not important, just listen..."

"Well, is there any truth to what she's saying? I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?"

"No, of course not. Now, would you listen?"

Dean's voice raised, "What?"

"I think there's somethin' strange going on here, Dean."

"Yeah, tell me about it. She wasn't even that into me"

"No, man, I mean like our kind of strange. Like, maybe even a lead."

I finally spoke up, "Like what?"

Sam sighed, "I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird? "

I shrugged, "Coincidence. It happens."

Sam replied, "Yeah, it happens, but not to us. Look, I could be wrong, I'm just sayin' that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on."

Dean smirked, "Well, I bet you'd like to. I mean, maybe she's not a suspect, maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?"

Sam rolled his eyes and laughed. Dean pointed to his head, "Maybe you're thinkin' a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?"

Sam got serious again, " Do me a favor. Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can't dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith's floor."

"Where are you going?" , I asked.

"I'm gonna watch Meg."

Dean laughed, "Yeah, you are."

"I just wanna see what's what. Better safe than sorry." Sam was getting defensive. Dean clapped him on the shoulder, "All right, you little pervert."

"Dude."

"I'm goin', I'm goin'. Come on Jen." Dean grabbed a bag from the back of the Impala. We walked across the street and left Sam with the car.

"Alright Jen, let's find the nearest motel and bunker down for the night. I have a feeling Sammy is gonna be out late." He walked for several blocks before we found one. Dean and me walked up to the counter.

"Two rooms please." I told the man behind the desk.

"Sorry miss, I only have one left for tonight."

"That's fine, we will take it." Dean said, passing a credit card to the guy. I gave him a look and he shrugged his shoulders. The room was on the third floor and we opened the door. I settled in on the couch and Dean threw his shit on the table.

Within an hour I had piles of books and papers strewn about me. Den was flipping through stuff on the laptop. I caught myself a few times just watching him and had to stop myself. Once I thought I caught him doing the same, "Dean. I think I have something."

"What?", He gets up and leans over the back of the couch and over my shoulder.

I pointed at the page, "It is Zoroastrian. Old school, like four thousand plus years old. That particular symbol is a sigil for a Daeva, which is a demon of darkness."

He read over my left shoulder for a minute, close enough that I could feel him breathing. Then he reached around my right side so that his arm was over my other shoulder, against my neck and pointed at a spot halfway down the page, "It says there that you need some sort of black altar. Someone is controlling it?"

"That's what it looks like."

His phone began to ring, he moved his arm, answered it but stayed where he was. I could hear Sam on the other end.

_"Hey."_

Dean chuckled close to my ear, "Let me guess. You're lurkin' outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you? "

_"No,"_ there was a long pause from both ends, _"Yes."_

"You've got a funny way of showin' your affection."

_"Did you find anything on her or what?"_

"Sorry, man, she checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook. I even pulled up her high school photo. Now, look, why don't you go knock on her door and, uh, invite her to a poetry reading, or whatever it is you do, huh? "

I smiled and Sam ignored him, _"What about the symbol? Any luck?"_

"Yeah actually Jen found something. Let me hand her the phone."

"Hey Sam, it turns out it is Zoroastrian. Very, very old school, like two thousand years before Christ. It's a sigil for a Daeva."

Dean grabbed the book out of my hand and continued to read. Sam asked, _"What's a Daeva?"_

"Ummm... as far as I can tell it is a demon of darkness. Very animalistic. Demonic pit bulls I guess would be a good comparison. But here is the thing, they have to be summoned."

_"So, someone's controlling it? "_

"Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'. From what I have read it looks pretty risky. Once you lose control they tend to bite the hand that feeds them, plus the arms and the torsos. Pretty much all of 'em."

_"So, what do they look like?", _Dean snatched the phone back and started to talk.

"Well, nobody knows, but nobody's seen 'em for a couple of millennia. I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone really knows their stuff. I think we've got a major player in town. Now, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram? "

"_Bite me_." Sam said loudly enough for me to hear. I laugh. Dean keeps talking, "No, bite her. Don't leave teeth marks, though."

I hear the line drop, " ...Sam? Are you there?"

He snaps the phone shut and laughs, looks over at me and I just shake my head, "Really Dean? Biting?"

He turned around and pointed at me, "Don't dis it till you try it."

He couldn't hold a straight face and laughed. I smiled and laughed with him. Dean grabbed a beer, flipped the TV on and sat on the couch next to me. He flipped through channels until he found _Young Guns_ on some western channel. I said under my breath with the movie, "Why'd you kill'em Billy?"

Dean finished it, "Cause he was hacken on me," he paused and got excited, "You like westerns?"

"Yep. My favorite kind of movie. I can probably do any one line for line."

"Really?"

I turned to him and smiled sheepishly, "Yeah."

He shook his head and snorted, "You know, you are really something else Jen."

His face went down and I looked forward to the TV, again I was left feeling confused and stranded. A few minutes passed in silence when I felt his hand grab under my arm and pull me towards him. I met his eyes and he half smiled but looked nervous. Without saying a word I let him guide me closer and put my head under his shoulder. He was warm and smelled like leather. I heard him exhale slowly, and he cautiously put his arm down around me. When he figured that I wasn't going to freak out I felt his body relax. Leaning against him, I stopped watching the movie and just listened to his breathing. It lulled me into a better sleep then I had had in a long time.

* * *

In the Impala Sam was watching Meg through her window. It was dark until she flipped on a light. She stands in front of her window wearing only a black bra and panties. Sam ducks down uncomfortably, but still watches her until she pulls on a t-shirt. He jumps at the sound of a woman outside the car who clears her throat. Sam panics, "Oh, no, no, no, I'm just..."

"Pervert." the woman interrupts and walks away angrily.

Sam sits there. Stunned. Moments later, Meg leaves her apartment wearing dark clothes. She walks right in front of the car and Sam ducks down. Once she turns the corner Sam gets out of the car and follows her on foot. Blocks later Meg stopped at a graffiti-covered wall. She looked around, checking before she pulled open the door. Once she was inside Sam peered around the corner and walks to the door. He opens it slowly, trying to keep it from creeking, wincing every time that it did.

Sam entered the warehouse and walked up a few flights of stairs. He heard her heels clicking floors above. He reached a door that he tried to open, but it was locked. Over a little bit was an elevator shaft. Sam jumped the gate and began to climb up the side of it. A few floors up he heard Meg speaking. He looked around and saw a black altar in the middle of the room. Pushing himself into the corner he watched and waited. Meg reached on to the altar and grabbed a bowl, swirled her finger in it and began to speak to it.

"I don't think you should come," there was a pause, "Because the brothers, they're in town, I didn't know that..Yes, sir... Yes, I'll be here—waiting for you."

Sam watched her set the bowl down and blow out the candles on the altar. She walks out of the room and he can hear her going down the stairs. Once he was sure that she was gone he hoists himself up and into the room. Sam walked over to the altar, there are human hearts on the table and various other items. Smack dab in the middle is the Zoroastrian symbol, drawn in blood.

"What the hell?"

* * *

Dean stirred. He had fallen asleep with his face in Jen's hair, which smelled like apples and vanilla. She was curled up under his arm, snoring softly. God was she warm next to him. She looked so calm asleep, peaceful and beautiful. Asleep, she wasn't defensive or wary of him. His phone on the table beside him was vibrating. That was what had woken him up. He shifted to grab it, trying not to wake her up.

"Yeah?"

_"Dean!? Hey, where are you at?"_

Dean rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, "At the motel two streets from the bar, why?"

_"Dude, I gotta talk to you."_

"How far are you?"

_"Give me fifteen minutes."_

"Okay." Dean hung up. He rubbed his eyes again. He didn't want to wake her up but he also didn't want to have this conversation with Sam. He didn't know what was going on let alone try to explain it. Luckily, Jen groaned and started to move. Dean shifted his shoulder, trying not to move her too much. Blinking and groggy she looked at his chest, toward the door, and then up at his face and smiled sleepily. Dean chuckled. "Nap time is over. We have to get back to work."

She sat up and rubbed her face. He watched her, waiting for her reaction. Or worse her rejection.

"Alrighty, let's get to it." was all that she said. Dean didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved.

* * *

Not ten minutes after I woke up Sam stormed into the room,

"We have to talk right now."

Sam sat down and started to explain.

"...I followed her to the warehouse and she was at the black altar." He finished.

"So, hot little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Dean asked.

"Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing."

I giggled, "So Sam's got a thing for bad girls? Who knew?"

Dean chuckled and Sam rolled his eyes. Dean spoke next, "What's the deal with that bowl again?"

"She was talking into it. The way witches used to scry into crystal balls or animal entrails. She was communicating with someone."

Dean looked confused, "With who? With the Daeva?"

"No, you and Jen said those things were savages. No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse." Dean paused and I could see the wheels turning. He looks over at the files on the table and rifles through them.

"Holy shit."

"What?" Sam asked.

"I was gonna tell you earlier that when I pulled a favor over at the police department, I got the complete records of the two victims. We missed something the first time around."

I walked over and read the files from behind him, Dean began to talk again, "The first victim, the old man—he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here. Look where he was born."

Sam inhaled sharply, "Lawrence, Kansas."

"Mmhmm...", Dean grabbed the second file, "Meredith, second victim—turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from."

The paper read Lawrence, Kansas. Holy shit. Sam had to sit down and I held on to the chair tightly to support myself.

"Holy crap.", was all Sam managed to say.

Dean nodded, "Yeah."

I looked from one brother to the other. I had done my homework enough to know what had happened in Lawrence twenty-two years ago. Sam finally spoke, "I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?"

"I think it's a definite possibility." Dean replied.

Sam looked at the table, "But I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?"

"Beats me. But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation."

"You can't do that," I said, "If you tip her off she might run or set those things on you guys. We should stake it out and see who is showin' up to meet her."

Dean turned and looked at me, "I guess but I'll tell you one thing. I don't think we should do this alone."

He got up and walked over to where he had left the phone. He picked it up and dialed a number. I knew exactly who he was trying to reach, "We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mom. So, uh, this warehouse—it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can."

He hung up. I knew it had gone straight to voicemail. Dean looked over at Sam and a moment passed between the boys. Sam nodded and went outside. We just sat there in complete silence. Sam returned a few moments later with filled bags. I snorted, "Jesus, what did you get?"

"I ransacked that trunk. Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about a half-dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should just expect everything."

Dean nods and began to load guns, I sharpened some knives and Sam poured flasks of holy water. After a while Dean finally spoke, "Big night."

Sam replied, "Yeah. You nervous?"

"No. Why, are you?"

"No. No way." They fell back into silence. I knew how big this was to them and I wasn't going to voice my doubts Sam spoke again, "God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon? "

"I wouldn't get ahead of ourselves." I said to Sam.

Dean nodded, "Man, we don't even know what is going on here for sure."

"I know. I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school, be a person again."

Dean looked hurt, "You wanna go back to school?"

"Yeah, once we're done huntin' the thing."

"Huh.", was all Dean said. I could feel the shit storm brewing.

Sam stopped, "Why, is there somethin' wrong with that?"

"No. No, it's, uh, great. Good for you."

"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over Dean?"

"It's never gonna be over. There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt. Hell, Jen's proof of all the other people that this shit happens to. There are other things wreaking havoc all over the place. Someone needs to do something."

"But there's gotta be somethin' that you want for yourself." I saw Dean stiffen and I swore I saw him glance my way. I wish I knew what was going through his head. But he recovered, "Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam."

"Dude, what's your problem?"

Dean was silent for a long time before he spoke again, "Why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?"

"'Cause Dad was in trouble. 'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mom."

"Yes, that, but it's more than that, man," he paused and looked over at me awkwardly. For the first time I felt like an intruder. He looked back at Sam, " You and me and Dad—I mean, I want us….I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again."

"Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before."

Dean looked heartbroken and forlorn, "It could be."

"I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way." Dean and Sam shared a look. Dean broke it first and walked away. He pushed past me and out the door, heading for the car. I waited a moment and then followed.

"Dean?" I called. He stopped and I jogged and caught up.

"I just want us to be a family again." He shook his head and looked past me.

"I know. You will get that eventually. Sam can't ignore this kind of stuff, you just need to give him some time." He moved close to me and looked down, searching.

"I know..." He trailed off and stepped back as he saw Sam walking out the door towards us, carrying the bags of stuff. We all piled into the car and followed Sam's directions to the warehouse.

The warehouse was dark and eerie. As much as I was always up for a hunt, I don't understand why stuff insists on hanging out in the creepiest places. I mean, why can't the monster hang out in the middle of the suburbs? We climbed the elevator shaft to the top floor. Meg was standing at the altar, chanting quietly. Dean motioned for me to stay put and him and Sam squeezed out and onto the floor. Dean looked back and placed his index finger toward his lips and then drew his gun. Sam drew his as well. I ducked into the corner where I could still see but was out of sight. Meg stopped, "Guys?," they both stiffened, "Hiding is a little bit childish, don't you think?"

Dean spoke, "Well, that didn't work out like I planned."

I pushed myself as close to the wall as I could, trying not to breath. Meg turned to face them, "Why don't you come out? Sam, I have to say, this puts a real crimp in our relationship. "

Sam scoffed, "Yeah, tell me about it."

"So, where's your little Daeva friend?" Dean asked.

"Around. You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good."

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. The shotgun's not for the demon."

"So, who is it, Meg? Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?" Sam asked.

She smiled slyly, "You."

I saw a shadow creep along the wall. It knocked Sam to the ground and the threw Dean into the crates behind him. Scratches began to appear on Sam's face. I started to climb up but Dean looked my way and shook his head once. I watched for a second and then dropped back down. I watched helplessly as Meg tied them to two separate poles as the Daeva held them down.

"Hey, Sam?", Dean looked over, "Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend...is a bitch."

Sam scoffed, "This, the whole thing, was a trap. Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it? And that the victims were from Lawrence? "

Meg giggles, "It doesn't mean anything. It was just to draw you in, that's all."

"You killed those two people for nothing?"

"Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less."

Dean rolled his eyes, "You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time. But why don't you kill us already?"

"Not very quick on the uptake, are we?", she leaned in closer, "This trap isn't for you."

Dean looks puzzled for a moment and I see the recognition cross Sam's face, "Dad. It's a trap for Dad."

Dean laughs, "Oh, sweetheart, you're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good."

Meg went over and straddled his legs, "He is pretty good. I'll give you that. But you see, he has one weakness."

"What's that?"

"You. He lets his guard down around his boys, lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he is in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the Daevas will kill everybody. Nice and slow and messy."

Dean rolled his head back and scoffed, "Well, I've got news for ya. It's gonna take a lot more than some….shadow to kill him."

"Oh, the Daevas are in the room here, they're invisible. Their shadows are just the only part you can see."

"Why you doin' this, Meg? What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" Sam asked.

"I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do. Loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mom," she grinned devilishly, "and Jess."

"Go to hell." Sam spat.

"Baby, I'm already there." She slid over to Sam. Dean looked over towards me again. I went to pull myself up and Dean shook his head. I pointed at the altar. He mouthed, 'Wait'. I nodded and continued to watch.

Meg was pressing against Sam, "Come on, Sam. There's no need to be nasty. I think we both know how you really feel about me. You know, I saw you watching me...changing in my apartment. Turned you on, didn't it?"

Dean chided, "Get a room, you two."

Meg ignored him, "I didn't mind. I liked that you were watching me. Come on, Sammy. You and I can still have a little dirty fun."

She starts to kiss his neck. I puke a little in my mouth. Freaking nasty.

"You wanna have fun? Go ahead then. I'm a little tied up right now." Sam said. She smiles and continues to kiss him. A noise behind Dean makes her stop. Shit. Meg got up and walked over to Dean. She reached behind him and pulls a knife out of his hand. He chuckles guiltily.

Meg clucks her tongue, "Speaking of dirty fun Dean...Where is your little girlfriend?"

"Who?" He asks innocently.

"You know, that little hot piece of ass who follows you around like a puppy. Riddle me this Dean, how does it feel to have someone barely overage under you in bed? Does it make you feel alive? Powerful? Hotter than hell?"

He was pissed and struggled against the ropes, "You bitch!"

She giggled and returned to Sam, "Now, were you just trying to distract me while your brother cuts free?"

"No. That's because I have a knife of my own." Meg looks confused and Sam breaks free and headbutts her. I jump up from the elevator shaft and run for the altar. I overturn it stepping on the candles and bones that were on it, crushing it. The Daeva appear and grab Meg, ripping her apart. She screams. They drag her across the floor and out the window. She falls ten stories down to the sidewalk. Sam grabs his knife and cuts Dean loose. They both walk over to the window and look down at Meg's body. I looked them both over, "So I guess the Daeva didn't like being bossed around?"

"Yeah, I guess not," Dean answered, "Hey, Sam?"

"Hm?"

"Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" Sam laughed and we headed down the stairs. They were both beaten up pretty bad but it was no worse than they had had before. We drove back to the motel, hoping to get some sleep and ditch this town.

We were walking back to the room and I noticed that Sam was still carrying a bag of guns, "Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?"

"I said it before, and I'll say it again. Better safe than sorry."

Dean unlocked the door and motioned us in ahead of him. As I enter I see the silhouette of a man standing by the window. I draw my gun and flip the safety. Dean and Sam do the same.

"Hey!" Dean shouts.

The man turns around.

"Dad?" Dean and Sam do a double take. Sure as shit John is standing in the middle of the room looking at us three. I lower my gun and replace it in the back of my pants.I nod, "John."

"Jen." He responds in kind, then looks at Sam and Dean, "Hey, boys."

Dean basically runs to his dad and hugs him for a long time. Sam hangs beside me and watches sadly. John and Dean pull apart and John looks over at Sam, "Hi, Sam."

"Hey, Dad." Sam said softly. Sam drops the bag of weapons on the floor but neither of them move. Dean breaks the silence, "Dad, it was a trap. I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I thought it might've been."

Dean raised his eyebrows, "Were you there?"

"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?"

Both Sam and Dean replied, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before. It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell...actually kill it."

Dean asks, "How?"

John smiles knowingly, "I'm workin' on that."

"Let us come with you. We'll help." Sam butts in. Dean gives Sam a weary look.

"No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in a crossfire. I don't want you hurt."

Sam shakes his head, "Dad, you don't have to worry about us."

"Of course I do. I'm your father." John pauses and looks at his sons again. Then he looks past them at me, his expression totally changes, "I need to talk to you now, alone."

He walks past me and into the hall. I can see the boys exchange glances and then Dean looks at me. I shrug and follow John down the hallway a bit. He turns on me, pissed as all hell, "What the fuck do you think you are doing?"

"What the hell are you talking about John?"

"I am talking about Dean. You are supposed to protect my sons, not distract them."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Bullshit." He loses it and pins me against the wall, his forearm at my throat, "I've been watching you guys in town. The way you look at him when he isn't looking."

I struggle to breathe, "John, I haven't done anything."

"You know what? I could deal with that, and I get it. But the worst part is that when you look away he looks at you the same exact way. And then you two on the couch."

"You were watching?"

"I've been following you guys since you got here, figured something big was going down."

I push against his arm, "He made the first move John."

"I don't give a rat's ass, you are going to shut it down before it goes any further. You are nothing more than a distraction for him." I can feel myself getting pissed, starting to go into a blind rage. I grab his arm and shove him against the opposite wall. He swings at me, I dodge and punch him in the stomach.

"Go to hell." I spat. He kept trying to get the upper hand but I kept fighting hard. Sam and Dean heard the commotion because they came running out of the room and pulled us apart. Sam started pushing John back to the room, and Dean wrapped his arms around me, holding me in place.

"That fucker." I hissed still struggling.

"Calm down Jen." I stopped and he turned me toward him, hands on my shoulders, "What the hell happened?"

I regain my composure, "Nothing, it is between me and John. He was being an ass."

"You good?"

"Yeah.", We headed back toward the room. As we approached I could hear John talking to Sam.

"...Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

"Yes, sir."

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time".

"Too long."

Dean and I enter the room in time to see John pull Sam in an embrace. They pull away and John looks over at Dean who smiles. John starts to smile but is thrown back against the wall. I catch the motion of the Daeva in the shadows. Sam is clawed at by another.

"No!" Dean yells. I am thrown into the corner of counter and I see Dean fall to the floor. I can feel the claws ripping through my skin. We are all being flung around like dolls. Sam crawls toward the bag that he dropped.

"Close your eyes!" He yells and sets off a flare with blinding light.

"Dad!" Dean yells, I can hear him fumbling around.

"Over here." Dean pulls him to his feet and supports him. We all stumble out of the room and I grab the bag on our way our. By the time we make it to the Impala we are all coughing. I throw the bag in the backseat. Sam looks over at John, "All right, come on. We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back."

Dean grabs Sam by the coat, "Wait, wait, wait! Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us."

"What? What are you talkin' about?"

John swallows and looks over them, "You boys...you're beat to hell."

"We'll be alright." Dean said.

Sam was yelling, shaking Dean, "Dean, we should stick together. We'll go after those demons..."

"Sam! Listen to me! We almost got Dad killed in there and Jen. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop. They're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He—he's stronger without us around."

"Dad-no." He reaches out and puts his hand on John's shoulder. Dean watches them sadly.

"After everything- after all the time we spent lookin' for you—please. I gotta be a part of this fight."

"Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son." Sam continues to shake his head. John pushes his hand away and looks at his sons again. Then he turns to me.

"I am sorry Jen. But I was serious about what I said."

I stood my ground, "Yeah. Sure."

"Be careful, boys." He heads for his truck and pulls away.

"Come on." Dean said We all got in the Impala, Dean revved the engine and sped away.

Sam turned to the back seat to look at me, "What happened with you and my Dad?"

"Nothing you need to worry about Sam." He turned forward again. I stared out the window until we were on the open highway. I looked up quick and caught Dean looking at me through the rearview mirror. When his eyes met mine he looked away quickly. I looked down and smiled to myself. Ah, well on to the next case.


	7. Hell House

**A/N: Revised 4/14/15**

After Chicago we had hightailed it south, spending over a week in the car. Now we were cruizing down I-35 in Texas. The windows were down and I was just enjoying the fresh air from the back seat. For late fall it was surprisingly warm, at least to me. Being from the north gave me a little different perspective on that type of thing. Sam was snoozing in the front seat. Blue Oyster Cult was playing over the radio. Dean looked over at Sam, then he started rummaging around in the front seat. He hisses, "Jen."

"Hmm?" I look to the front seat. He held up a plastic spoon and showed it to me, "Watch and learn."

Dean placed the spoon in Sam's open mouth. Grinning, he flips open his cell and takes a picture. I shake my head and roll my eyes. Boys. Dean cranked the radio and started singing as loudly and obnoxiously as he could, "Fire...of unknown origins...took my baby away!"

Sam jerked awake and panicked when he realized something was in his mouth. He spits it out. Dean air drummed with the song on the steering wheel. He smirks looking over at Sam. I can't help but laugh. Sam wiped his mouth and turned down the music,"Ha ha, very funny Dean."

"Sorry, not a lot of scenery here in East Texas, kinda gotta make your own."

"Man we're not kids anymore Dean. We're not going to start that crap up again." Sam snaps.

"Start what up?", Dean asked innocently.

"That prank stuff. It's stupid, and it always escalates".

"Aw, what's the matter Sammy, scared you're going to get a little Nair in your shampoo again huh?"

I snorted, "Well he could use a haircut." Dean laughed.

Sam shook his head, aspirated. "All right, just remember you started it."

"Bring it on baldy"

Sam looked around, "Where are we anyway?"

"We should be a few hours outside of Richardson." I said and Dean nodded, "You want to give us the lowdown again?" .

Sam pulled out some pages from under the seat."All right, about a month or two ago this group of kids goes poking around in this local haunted house."

"Haunted by what?" Dean asked.

"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit. Legend goes, it takes girls and strings them up in the rafters. Anyway this group of kids see this dead girl hanging in the cellar."

I look over his shoulder at the newspaper article, "Fantastic. Just another Tuesday. Anyone ever I.D. the body?"

"Well, that's where it starts getting to be our type of thing. By the time the cops got there the body was gone. So cops are saying the kids were just yanking chains."

Dean looked over, "Maybe the cops are right."

Sam shrugged, "Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids firsthand accounts. They seemed pretty sincere."

I looked at him, weird, "Where the hell did you find those? I don't remember reading that in the papers, not that any paper would publish shit like that."

Sam got embarrassed, " Well, I knew we were going to be passing through Texas. So, umm, last night, I surfed some local ... paranormal websites. And I found one."

Dean snorted, "And what's it called?"

"Hell hounds lair "

"Well that sounds credible as hell." I joked.

"Yeah, streaming live out of Mom's basement." Dean said. Sam grinned, "Probably."

Dean shook his head and stared out the windshield, "Yeah. Most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the ass."

"Look. We let Dad take off. Which was a mistake, by the way. And now we don't know where the hell he is, so meantime we gotta find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checking this thing out."

Dean sighed, "All right. So where do we find these kids?"

"Where else do you find kids in a two goat town," I said, "the local dinner or dive."

* * *

A few hours later we pulled up in front of a fast food outlet named Rodeo Drive.

"I think I was right when I said dive," I snorted. The place was dirty and shitty. Even worse, it was crawling with high schoolers. There was a couple making out by the entrance.

"Uck," I said with a face.

"Jen, aren't you only a few years older than them?" Dean asked in that smartass voice.

"Sure, but I never want to go back to high school, and I certainly never acted like that."

He laughed and then tried to keep his face straight, "I don't know, I could kind of see you in a cheerleader uniform. Mmm."

I lost it and he started chuckling as well, "Dean, you do realize I was a huge tomboy? Plus a nerd?I think I spent more time in shop and the labs than with boys."

He bumped shoulders with me "Captain of the mathleague?"

"Damn strait." I laughed again. Sam held the door for us both to go in, shaking his head. We looked around for a second and then Sam went up to the counter.

"Hey do you know a.." He looks down at a paper he pulls from his pocket, " Jerry Youler, Nick Lander or a Kelsey..."

"You guys are looking for people who were at the Hell House?" The guy behind the counter asked excitedly then his face fell and he started to clam up. Alright, you want to play that way. I pulled down on my tank under my button-down so that just a smidge more boob showed and stepped up to the counter,

"Yeah, we are reporters from Dallas." I smiled. The pimply boy looked me up and down and looked nervous, "Really? C-cause I'm Nick. Jerry is over there..."

He pointed to a booth in the corner, "...and Kelsey is sitting at that high table with the guy in the Letterman jacket."

I smiled, leaning on the counter, "Thanks, Nick. We just have a few questions for you."

"Yeah, s-sure."

I nod reassuringly, "What was it like in the house?"

"From the moment we walked in the walls were painted black." He looked between the three of us. I nodded for him to continue.

"Crosses and star and Pentecostals. We went down to the basement and there was a girl with black hair hanging under the rafters...Shouldn't you be writing this down."

I shook my head, "Good memory."

He continued, "I guess she was kinda hot," I raised my eyebrows, "Ah, you know, in a dead sort of way."

"O-Kay," Dean said mouthing 'wow', at me, "Thanks for your time."

We started to walk away and he leaned out the window, "Hey, do you need my number or a follow-up interview?"

I turned, walking backwards, "I think we are good."

I turned again and looked up at Dean, making a face, "Yikes"

Sam chuckled, "That was hardly fair. I thought you said you didn't know how to handle high school boys."

"In high school. Once I got to college I realized that boys kinda like boobs. They aren't too complicated."

Sam laughed, Dean looked confused, "You went to college?"

"Yeah" I shrugged. It wasn't exactly the highlight of my life, but I had gone. Before he could inquire any more we were over to Jerry. We questioned, the story was pretty much the same except for now the walls were red and the girl was a blonde. When we interviewed Kelsey, the walls were bloody and the girl was a redhead. The only useful and consistent information that we got from them was that they had heard about it from a guy named Craig Thurston.

We headed to the car, Dean spoke before grabbing the handle, "It is getting pretty late, do you just want to get a good nights sleep and start in the morning?"

Sam nodded. We drove to this motel with a western ranch theme that was super overdone. We got two rooms for the night. The boys went to theirs and I went to mine. I showered, washing off, whore baths just didn't cut it for me. I pulled on some sweats for the night. I was laying on my bed watching TV when there was a knock on the door. I looked through the window before I opened the door. It was Dean, " Hey do you want any food, Sam is going to pick something up."

"Sure I could go for a burger."

He turned, Sam was standing by the Impala waiting. Dean yelled across the lot, "One more burger!"

Sam nodded and drove the car away. Dean walked in and sat on the edge of my bed, "What the hell are you watching?"

"Don't know, just flipped it on. It's Thursday, so probably the game once I find it."

There was an awkward silence where he watched the TV and I wasn't sure where to look. He looked up at me, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I scooted beside him, cross-legged and watched the game. I tried my best to focus on the game but I kept looking over under my wet hair. One of the players smashed the receiver.

"Nice tackle." Dean said.

"He is gonna be asking for a license plate after that."

Dean laughed. I met his eyes and smiled. His face got serious again and he reached out, tucking my wet hair behind my ear and his hand lingered on my neck. He began to move his hand to my face, all my muscles stiffened involuntarily. He searched my face, confused by my reaction. We sat there like that for a moment and just when I felt like something might happen there was a knock at the door. Dean shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Shit."

He got up to open the door, and kept mumbling under his breath. I looked back down, trying to stop blushing. It was Sam with the food, "Alright, the salad is mine and the two double bacon cheese burgers are for you two."

I smirked, "A salad, are you a rabbit?"

"Excuse me if I don't want to die from a blocked artery." I rolled my eyes, freaking health nut.

We all sat in my room and watched the game. After it was over they headed back and I fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning we headed to the music shop where Craig worked. A guy who was doing inventory looked up, "Fellas..." He looked behind them and saw me as well, "...miss. Can I help you with anything?"

Sam spoke, "Yeah, are you Craig Thurston?"

"I am."

Dean cleared his throat, "Well we're reporters with the _Dallas Morning News._ I'm Dean, this is Sam and this is our intern, Jen."

"No way. Well I'm writer too. I write for my school's lit magazine.", he looked over at me and did that little head flip thing that guys do when they are trying to sound impressive.

I half smiled, trying not to roll my eyes, "Impressive, good for you."

"Umm. We're doing an article on local hauntings and rumor has it you might know of one." Sam said. Craig raised his eyebrows and spoke dramatically, "You mean the Hell House?"

"That's the one." Dean snapped his fingers.

"I didn't think there was anything to the story." Craig said slowly but I spoke up, "Well, why don't you tell us the story?"

He cleared his throat, becoming serious, "Well, supposedly back in the '30s this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in this house with his six daughters. It was during the Depression, his crops were failing, he didn't have enough money to feed his own children. So I guess that's when he went off the deep end."

"How?" Dean asked.

"Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick, rather than starve to death. So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop but he just strung 'em up, one after the other. And when he was all finished he just turned around and hung himself. Now they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringing up any other girl that goes inside. "

"Where'd you hear all this?" I asked, still skeptical about this tale.

"My cousin Dana told me. I don't know where she heard it from. Ya gotta realize, I - I didn't believe this for a second."

Sam nodded, "But now you do."

"I don't know what the hell to think, man. You guys, I-I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, ok? That girl was real. And she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, ok?"

"Thanks." Dean said and we headed out. Once we were all in the car Sam spoke, "What do you two think?"

I shrugged, "It definitely sounds like a haunting, but I think it is weird that it hasn't happened before. You know, like a pattern or anything? We aren't at like an anniversary of it or anything, ya know?"

"Well I guess let's just go and check out the house." Dean added.

The house was probably ten miles or so out of town. We couldn't get near to the house because of how muddy the road leading up to it was. We trekked through the mud up to the house. The thing was in shambles, abandoned for years. One thing was right though. It was creepy as hell. I scoffed, "Not much for curb appeal is it?"

Dean laughed and pulled out his EMF meter. Immediately it started going nuts.

"You got something?" Sam asked. I looked around and smacked Dean on the shoulder. He turned and I pointed and he nodded.

Dean sighed, "EMF is no good."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I bet those power lines still have some juice in them. It will screw with all the readings." I replied.

Dean put the meter away, "That will do it. Let's just go check it out."

We opened the door and started looking around. There were symbols all over the walls, but none of it made sense. They were all over the place, Chinese, Tibetan, African, and a shit ton of others. Sam started taking pictures of all of them on his phone. Dean let out a whistle, "Looks like old man Murdock was a bit of a tagger here in his time."

"And after his time too. That reverse cross has been used by Satanists for centuries but this sigil of sulfur didn't show up in San Francisco until the '60s." Sam said, obviously as confused as I was. Dean stared over at Sam, "That is exactly why you never get laid."

He walked over to the wall and stared up at a symbol above the fireplace. I vaguely recognized it, like I had seen it in passing but couldn't place it. It looked like a cross with a dot in the middle and the top stroke was a question mark. Dean pointed at it, " Hey what about this one, you seen this one before?"

Sam shook his head, "No."

I shrugged my shoulders, he looked harder, trying to place it,

"I have. Somewhere." was all he said. Sam walked up to it and rubbed the symbol, "It's paint. Seems pretty fresh too."

"I don't know Sam. You know I hate to agree with authority figures of any kind, but ... the cops may be right about this one." Dean said as he started to turn away.

"Yeah, maybe." Sam was still looking at all the symbols. A crash behind a door made me jump. They both turned around. Sam goes to one side of the door and me and Dean are on the other. Dean holds up three fingers. Counting- 3,2,1... Sam flings open the door. We are blinded by a bright light. It is just two nerdy looking guys with headlamps on.

One of them speaks, "Oh, cut. It's just a coupla humans. What are you guys doing here?"

Dean looked confused, "What they hell are you doing here?"

The first guy speaks again, "Ah-We belong here, we're professionals?"

"Professional what?" Sam asked.

"Paranormal Investigators..." He pulled out a business card and hands it to Sam, "There you go, take a look at that, boys."

I start to choke, trying not to laugh, "You gotta be shitting me."

I look over at Dean and he shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

"Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler? . You guys run that website." Sam said.

Ed replied, "Yeah."

Dean tried to keep his face straight, "Oh yeah, yeah, we're huge fans."

Ed shakes his head and looks between us, "And ahh, we know who you guys are too."

Dean and Sam stiffen and look at him sharply, waiting for the response. Sam swallowed, "Oh yeah?"

"Amateurs . Looking for ghosts and cheap thrills."

Dean's jaw tightens and he gives me a look, he has totally lost any interest. I bite my bottom lip, still trying not to laugh. Harry finally spoke, "Yep. So if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here."

"So what have you guys found so far? I mean, this place is creepy as hell." I asked.

"Harry, why doncha tell 'em about EMF?" Ed answered.

"Well..."

"EMF?" Sam played dumb and was also suppressing a smile.

"Electromagnetic field? Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector. Like this bad boy right here." Harry held out a meter and turned it on. Dean smirked at me and Sam had to turn around to hide his face.

"Whoa..." Harry exclaimed, "Whoa. It's 2.8mg."

"2.8. It's hot in here. " Ed was also getting excited

I whistled, "Wow, that's nuts.."

"Huh. So you guys ever really seen a ghost before, or..." Dean asked.

Ed got real serious, "Once. We were, uh...we were investigating this old house and we saw a vase fall right off the table..."

"By itself." Harry finished.

"Well, we, we didn't actually see it, we heard it. And something like that...it uh...it changes you.",

Dean swallowed, his jaw fighting the smile, "Yeah. I think I get the picture. We should go, let them get back to work."

"Yeah, you should." Ed said defensively.

We turned and left. Once we were outside I doubled over laughing. Sam chuckled and Dean smiled.

"Can you believe those jokers?" I asked.

"Nothing but the best." Dean said as he climbed into the car. We headed back to town and dropped Sam off at the library and parked the car. Dean and I headed to the police station to see if there were any missing person reports that we could link to the girl. No such luck. An hour later we rondevued back with Sam.

"Hey!." Sam called as he walked up the block.

"What did you find?" I asked.

"Well I couldn't find a Mordechai but I did find a Martin Murdock who lived in that house in the '30s. He did have children but only two of them, both boys, and there's no evidence he ever killed anyone."

"Huh." Dean said.

"What about you?"

By now we had walked back to the Impala and leaning on the top. Dean was frustrated, "Well those kids didn't really give us a clear description of that dead girl but we did hit up the police station. No matching missing persons. It's like she never existed. Dude, come on, we did our digging, man, this one's a bust all right. For all we know those hellHound boys made up the whole thing."

Sam nodded, "Yeah all right."

Dean looked over at me, "I say we find ourself a bar and some beers and leave the legend to the locals."

"I agree with that."

Dean went to get into the car but I noticed Sam just standing there smiling. Oh, shit, no. Dean turned the ignition and Latin dance music blasts from the speakers. Dean leans back, trying to turn the speakers off.

"WHOA! What the..." and he finally gets everything off. Sam laughs and climbs in. He licked his finger and makes a one in the air and then points to himself.

Dean gives him a dirty look, "That's all you got? Weak. That is bush league."

We pulled away and went to a dive outside of town. We grabbed a table and Sam went up to the bar to grab us some drinks.

"Jen..." Dean asks, "You wanna play some pool?"

"Umm... I was planning on trying to work."

He shrugged, "Don't worry about it. We can pull in enough with the credit cards and you playing darts."

"Why? If I can pull in a grand that really helps." He grabs my wrist, leans in closer and talks into my ear. Voice low. "I don't want you to have to do that anymore...I can't see you do that to yourself again. You deserve better."

I meet his eyes. Dean stares until I nod. He turned and walked to the closest pool table and racked the balls. I was confused but I walked over, "Are you ready to get schooled Dean?"

"Ah, you may be the dart queen, but pool is my thing."

I winked at him, "Suuure it is."

Sam came over and watched us the entire game. Me and Dean shit talked each other the entire time. He ended up beating me by a shot. I saw some guys betting over at darts. I looked at Dean and then raised my eyebrows. He just smiled and shook his head.

I sauntered over, "You boys playing darts?"

They looked me over, "Yeah, honey. You want in?"

"Why not?"

Dean walked over behind and watched. The guys were okay, but nothing to write home about. I let them win the first two games while I continued to do shots.

"Double or nothing?" The pot would be about six-hundred.

"It's your money baby." One of the guys said and they all took their turn. Dean walked up behind me as I was about to make a throw, "Hey Jen, you gonna play lefty all night?"

"Thanks Dean, I almost forgot." I switched the dart into my right hand and threw three bull's-eyes. I turned around and bit my lip, "Sorry boys, don't know where that came from."

The grudgingly hand over their money. Sam, Dean and I spent the rest of the night playing pool and drinking until close. Then we drove back to the motel and passed out.

* * *

I woke with a fuzzy head to a pounding on my door.

"Jen!? Get up." It was Dean.

"Go away," I managed to get out. But I pushed myself up and walked over to the door and opened it, rubbing my eyes.

"What?" I groan. He pushed his way into my room.

"Get dressed, let's go. I went to town this morning and there was another murder in the Hell House."

I groaned, "Are you freaking kidding me? The guy isn't even real."

"Well apparently he is real enough to hang another girl. Let's go."

"Okay, okay. Let me get dressed."

I go to pull my t-shirt off when I pause, hold up a sec. I look over and Dean is still standing there watching me.

"Get out." I snap.

"Oh, yeah, right... Sorry." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Out!" I say again. He jumps in place and walks out the door

Not five minutes later I was running out of the room to the Impala, they were just getting in as well. Dean pushed the car to high gear and we made it to the Hell House in record time. There were first responders rushing around, the body was just being brought out on a stretcher. We walked up to a man that was standing outside.

"What happened?" I asked.

"A coupla cops say a girl hung herself in the house."

Sam made a face, "Suicide?"

"Yeah. But it is strange. She was a straight A student, with a full ride to UT too. It just don't make sense." The man walked away.

Sam looked over at Dean, "Whaddaya think?"

Dean watched the cops, "I think maybe we missed something."

We stood there and watched them load the stretcher into the back of the ambulance and went to walk away.

"We are going to have to wait until tonight to get in, aren't we?" I said.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, just feels like we are wasting time though...Shit."

* * *

We wasted the entire day seeing what else we could dig up on the property. What did we came up with? Absolutely nothing. At nightfall we made our way back to the house, parked on the main road and hiked the last couple of miles through the woods with bags filled with shotguns. When we got close I could see that there was a patrol car parked outside and two cops checking the perimeter. We crouched down behind a few bushes.

"I guess the cops don't want anyone else screwing around in there." Sam hissed

I looked over at him, "But we still gotta get in there."

"How?" Sam asked.

We all turned at a noise crashing through the trees behind us. Walking the side of the path were the geeks from before. We can hear the muffled whispers. I scoffed, "I don't believe this shit."

Dean grabs my shoulder and half stands, "I got an idea," he hisses. Then he yells,

"Who ya gonna call!"

Ed and Harry start looking around, surprise. The cops spot them,

"Hey! You!" They start to run back down the path, the two cops chasing them, "Freeze! Get back here."

We are all laughing and make a break for the house. Once we are inside, Sam opens the bag and hands me my 870 and Dean a sawed-off. We load them quickly. Dean turned on a flashlight, but made sure to keep it low. He pointed it over that symbol again quickly.

"Where have I seen that symbol before? It's killing me!"

Sam shoved him, "Come on, we don't have much time."

I followed Dean down to the basement with Sam following quietly behind. We shined the flashlights around, but there really wasn't much to see. Dean reached on a shelf and picks up a jar and examines the contents, "Hey Sam. I dare you to take a swig of this."

Sam looked at him for a moment, "What the hell would I do that for?"

Dean looks from him to the jar and smirks, "...I double dare you."

Sam just shakes his head, annoyed. Dean just keeps grinning and I can't help but giggle. Then there is a crash in a nearby cabinet. We all go on alert. Sam looks between us and then opens the door. Shining the light down in, all it is are a couple of rats that scurry away. Dean grunts, "Arghh! I hate rats."

Sam rolls his eyes, "You'd rather it was a ghost?"

"Actually yes ."

I had turned around as Dean was saying this, "Ahhh, guys?"

Right behind them was the ghost of Mordechai appearing, he has an axe in his hand.

"GET DOWN." I yell, they drop, and I pump eight rounds into the son of a bitch, but he is still standing there, misting. Once they recover, the boys also unload their guns into him and he fades away.

Sam looks nervous, "What the hell kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?"

Dean pushes him toward the stairs and grabs me, "I dunno. Come on. Come on come on! "

As we run for the stairs, Mordechai appears again and starts smashing his axe, shelves are coming down around us. On a backswing he catches Sam, who falls. Dean and I grab him and drag him up the stairs. We keep bolting for the door, dragging Sam with us. We fall out the door, rolling and almost run headlong into Ed and Harry. We spring back up and keep running. They had their cameras aimed at the house.

"Get that damn thing outta my face." Dean growls.

"Dean! Come on!" I am still half dragging Sam. Dean grabs under Sam's other shoulder and we make for the woods.

"Sweet lord...of the rings. RUN!" I hear behind us as we make it to the woodline. They must have caught a glimpse of Mordechai. I pull up and look back and Harry and Ed turn straight into the cops.

"Look, there's a...look. There's a man over there...I saw...where'd he go?" They were pointing toward the door. The cops just grabbed them and hauled them to the patrol car.

After a few hundred more yards Sam shoves me and Dean off, "I'm fine."

Dean grabs him and gives him a once over.

"Old plowhand get the jump on ya?" I ask.

"Shut up Jen." Sam says, but I can hear the humor in his voice.

"What the hell was that shit?" Dean said.

I grabbed the door handle, "I dunno."

Dean got behind the wheel, "We need to get back to the motel and figure this out."

* * *

I sat with the boys in their room for the night. Spread out on the lower half of Dean's bed, I looked through pages after pages of books, desperately looking for something that could match this gook. I kept trying to match up the symbols with their origin. Just as I had thought when I entered the house, the symbols were all over the place, nothing matched up. Sam was looking through stuff on the web, trying to find something that could help us. All night Dean sat at the head of his bed, drawing that damn symbol over and over again.

"What the hell is this symbol? It's buggin' the hell outta me. This whole damn job's buggin' me. I thought the legend said Mordechai only goes after chicks."

"It does." Sam said absent-mindedly.

Dean nudged me with his foot lightly, "All right. Well I mean that explains why he went after you, Sam, but why me?"

I smiled.

"Hilarious." Sam huffed, " The legend also says he hung himself but did you see those slit wrists?"

Now that I thought about it, "Yeah, they were slashed open. By the way, what was that? And the axe? Ghosts can't change like that. There are rules."

Dean furrowed his brow, "But this mook keeps changing."

Sam kept clicking at his laptop, "Exactly. I'm telling ya, the way the story goes ... wait a minute."

Me and Dean both looked up, "What is it?"

"Someone added a new post to the Hell Hound site. Listen to this. '_They say Mordechai Murdock was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity_."

I looked down at the symbol Dean was drawing. I stop breathing.

"Dean..." I pulled the notebook out of his hands and flipped it around so that the question mark is upside down for him.

He shook his head, "Son of a bitch."

Sam had ignored us, "Where the hell is the lore even going?"

Dean got up and grabbed his jacket, "I don't know but I think I might have just figured out where it all started."

I rushed out after him and Sam followed closely behind, "Where the hell are we going?"

"The music store" I replied as I jumped into the back seat.

* * *

The bells on the door chimed as we entered the record store for the second time. Craig is sitting behind the counter and turns away when he sees us.

"Hey Craig, remember us?" Dean calls.

"Guys, look I'm really not in the mood to answer any of your questions ok?"

"Oh don't worry. We're just here to buy an album, that's all." Dean goes through a stack and picks up an album and flips it for me to see. Our eyes meet and I nod. I had been right. Sam and Dean walked up to the counter, "You know Sammy, I couldn't figure out what that symbol was and then I realized that it doesn't mean anything. It's the logo for the Blue Oyster Cult. "

Then he looked over at Craig, "Tell me Craig, you, uh, you into BOC? Or just scaring the hell outta people? Now why 'n't you tell us about that house ... without lying through your ass this time."

"Man I don't know anything."

I didn't have time for this shit. I pushed past the boys and grabbed Craig by his coat collar and shoved him against the wall, lifting him up.

"Woah, Jen." Sam went to grab me but Dean pulled him back.

"Alright you little SOB, you are going to tell me exactly what you did with that house or I am going to beat your sorry ass so hard..."

He pulled up his hands, "Okay, okay... My cousin Dana was on break from TCU. Ah, I guess we were just bored, looking for something to do. So I showed her this abandoned dump I found. We thought it would be funny if we made it look like it was haunted. So we painted symbols on the walls, some from some albums, some from some of Dana's theology textbooks. Then we found out this guy Murdock used to live there so we ...we made up some story to go along with that. So they told people, who told other people. And then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own. I mean I, I thought it was funny at first but... now that girl's dead! It was just a joke, you know. I mean, none of it was real, we made the whole thing up. I swear!"

I shoved him back hard and let go. He brushed himself off and backed away from me. I headed straight for the door.

"Alright," Sam said softly.

They caught up with me and Dean asked the question all of us were thinking out loud, "If none of it was real how the hell do you explain Mordechai?"

* * *

We went back to the motel room and researched for hours more. This case was kicking our ass. Dean finally got up, "Jen, you wanna run to town with me and pick up some stuff?"

"Sure." We got up and headed out. I rode shotgun.

"This case really bites." Dean said.

"Something will turn up Dean, we just need to figure out what the hell he is. I know one thing, we can rule out ghost."

He nodded, "That's for damn sure."

I turn and catch him looking at me. I watch him look forward at the road, clenching and unclenching his jaw. I swear I saw him stop himself from reaching over, but I couldn't be sure. A long silence passes until we pull into town.

"Mind waiting here for a sec?" He asks me.

"Nah."

"You want anything?"

I shake my head. He comes back out of the store quickly. He sits down and pulls his buy out of the bag. Itching powder. I laugh.

"You can't be serious?"

"As a heart attack. I guarantee you the second we left he jumped into the shower. This is too perfect to pass up."

When we get back, sure as shit Sam is in the shower. Dean turns to me and gives a devilish smile, and mouths 'told ya.' He grabs Sam's boxers and starts spreading it in them, "Hey, we are back!"

"So I think I might have a theory about what's going on." He yells.

"Oh, yeah?"

Sam turns the knob and Dean jumps around, "What if Mordechai is a Tulpa?"

"Tulpa?" Dean looks at me.

I dig way into my useless knowledge. "It is Tibetan. Right?"

Sam comes out in nothing but a towel, "A Tibetan thought form."

"Ahh, yeah, I know what a Tulpa is. Hey why don't you get dressed, I wanna go grab something to eat." Dean said as he pushes into the bathroom and shuts the door. I wait outside and they emerge a few minutes later. "Where to?

"Let's just hit up that fast food joint." Dean says.

We got there and ordered a couple of coffees. I wasn't hungry and I knew Dean was waiting for Sam to connect the dots. He kept moving uncomfortably, trying not to scratch himself as we sat at a nearby table. Dean bumps shoulders with me, smirking and looks to Sam, "Dude what's your problem?"

Sam tries to sit the best he can, "Nothing, I'm fine."

"You sure?" I ask.

"Yeah."

Dean and I exchange a glance, "So, ahhh, alright keep going. What about these Tulpas?"

Sam opens his laptop, "Oh, yeah, so there was this incident in Tibet in 1915. Group of monks visualised a golem in their head. The meditated on it so hard they bought the thing to life. Outta thin air."

"So what?" Dean asks.

"That was 20 monks. Imagine what 10,000 web surfers could do. I mean Craig starts the story about Mordechai, then it spreads, goes online. Now there are countless people all believing in the bastard."

I was confused, "Hold up. Are you telling me that just because people believe in that, he is real?"

Sam shrugged, "I dunno. maybe."

Dean scoffed, "People believe in Santa Claus - how come I'm not getting hooked up every Christmas?"

"Cause you're a bad person. And because of this..." Sam turned his laptop so that me and Dean could see it. It was one of the symbols from the house.

"That's a Tibetan spirit sigil. On the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet they painted this, not even knowing what it was. Now that sigil has been used for centuries, concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass. So people are on the HellHounds website, staring at the symbol, thinking about Mordechai ... I mean I don't know, but it might be enough to bring a Tulpa to life. "

Sounded pretty legit, "That would at the least explain why he keeps changing."

Sam grimaced and adjusted his pants again, "Right, as the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes. Like a game of telephone. That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work."

Dean nodded, "Yeah because he's not a traditional spirit."

Sam kept fidgeting, "Yes"

"Can we just get the thing of the wall and off the website? Will that get rid of him?" I asked.

Sam grimaced, "I don't think it will be that simple. You see, once Tulpas are created they take on a life of their own."

I shook my head, "You can't kill an idea."

"Great..." Dean said. "So how do we get rid it?"

Sam itched again. "Well it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us. Check out their homepage."

He turned the computer towards us again. It was a video of last night. First we came crashing out of the house and then in the door, plain as day was Mordechai.

"Since they've posted the video their number of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone."

Dean stood up, "I got an idea. Come on."

"Where we goin'?" I asked.

"We gotta find a copy store."

Sam keeps itching as he gets up, "Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or something."

Dean laughs, keeps walking and puts his arm around my shoulder playfully. "Told ya it would be good."

"You did this?" Sam was pissed. "You're a friggin jerk!"

Dean opens the door, "Oh yeah."

* * *

Two hours and a copy store later we were in the trailer and RV park right out of town. We were looking for trailer 336. We found it a few minutes later,

"Charming." I said. It was a small silver camping trailer with a pink flamingo out front.

As we approached we could hear Ed and Harry inside.

"...Ed, I've never seen a real ghost before Ed, like a real ghost, an apparition!"

"This stuff here...this is our ticket to the big time right here. Fame, money, sex. With girls. OK? Be brave. WWBD. What Would Buffy Do. huh?"

I look over and Dean just shakes his head and inhales, Sam just stands there smirking. I reach up and pound on the door. There is scampering, "Who is it?"

I roll my eyes, "The Easter bunny, who the hell do you think? Come on out boys."

"It's them!" They slowly stick their heads out of the door.

"Ah, would you look at that! Action figures in their original packaging - what a shock." Dean says.

"We need to talk to you guys." I said.

Ed looks at us nervously, "Yeah, um, sorry guys. We're ahhh, a little bit busy right now."

"Fine, " Dean started, "well we'll make it quick. We need you to shut down your website."

Ed laughed, "Man, you know, these guys got us busted last night, spent the night in a holding cell..."

Harry looked between all of us, "I had to pee in that cell urinal. In front of people. And I get stage fright."

"Why should we trust you guys?" Ed asks.

Sam stepped forward, "Look guys. We all know what we saw last night, what's in the house. But now thanks to your website there are thousands of people hearing about Mordechai."

"That's right. Which means people are gonna keep showing up at the Hell House, running into him in person, somebody could get hurt." Dean finished.

"Yeah, yeah..." Ed said.

Harry started, "Ed maybe he's got a point, maybe..."

"Nope..."

"No."

"We have an obligation to our fans, to the truth."

Enough of this shit, time to reel them in, "Well I have an obligation to kick both of your asses right now."

"Woah Jen," Dean grabbed me by my jacket collar.

Sam shook his head, "Hey, just, forget it, all right? These guys ... you could probably bitch slap them both, I could probably even tell them that thing about Mordechai ... but they're still not gonna help us. Let's just go."

Ed and Harry got excited. Hook, line and sinker, "Whoa.. whoa..."

"You know, Sam, you are right." We all started to walk away. Ed and Harry were trailing right behind us.

Ed was getting excited, "What you say about...?"

"Hang on a second here." Harry finished, "What thing about Mordechai you guys?"

"Don't tell 'em Sam." Dean said.

"But if they agree to shut the website down Dean."

I shook my head, "They aren't going to do it."

Ed held up his hand, "No wait. Wait. Don't listen to her ok? We'll do it. We'll do it."

Dean looked over at Sam, "It's a secret Sam."

Sam turned to Ed and Harry, "Look, it is a really big deal all right. And it wasn't easy to dig up. So only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down."

"Totally." It was like kids in a candy store.

"All right." Sam said and Dean pulled out some paperwork from his jacket.

"That's a death certificate." I told them, "It's from the '30s, found it in the town records. According to the mortuary the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Ed looked over the paperwork with vigor. Dean looked over at me, we definitely had them. "That's right he didn't hang or cut himself."

Ed handed it to Harry and looked up, "He shot himself?"

Sam nodded, "Yep. With a .45 pistol. To this day they say he's terrified of them."

Dean said in a low voice, "Matter of fact they say if you shoot him with a .45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds - it'll kill the son of a bitch."

Ed and Harry snigger and then catch and themselves, then look between us. Harry spins around and bolts toward the trailer. Ed walks as nonchalantly as he can manage, "Harry. Slow your roll buddy. They're gonna know we're excited."

I look between Sam and Dean and we all start laughing as we walk back to the car.

"That was easy." I spoke, "Now we just have to wait for it to get up on the website."

An hour later we were sitting in a local dinner in a booth. I was eating a burger, as was Dean. Sam ate a freaking salad and we all had a beer in front of us. Sam was using his laptop to keep track of the website. Dean keeps reaching up and pulling on a cord that makes a fisherman laugh in this choked, mechanical way. Sam reached up and pulled the cord to stop it, "If you pull that string one more time I'm going to kill you."

Dean just looks deadpan at Sam and reaches up and pulls the string again. Sam grabs the string and immediately stops it. Dean snickers, "Come on man, you need more laughter in your life. You know you're way too tense."

Sam gives Dean a dirty look, and it's my turn to laugh. "Did they post it yet?"

Sam turns the laptop so that we can read it. Dean reads it aloud under his breath, "We've learned from reputable sources that Mordechai Murdock has a fatal fear of firearms. All right. How long do we wait?"

"Long enough for the new story to spread, and the legend to change. I figure by nightfall iron rounds will work on the sucker." Sam holds his beer up and we all lift ours and tap them together.

"Sweet," Dean says and swigs his. Sam is grinning across the table. Oh, damn. I put my bottle down. Dean goes to put his down, but the bottle is stuck to his hand. Sam doubles over. Dean looks over, pissed, "You didn't."

Sam keeps laughing and flips up a thing of super glue, "Oh, but I did."

Dean keeps shaking his hand and Sam keeps laughing and pulls the fisherman, making it laugh again. He gets up to leave. Dean keeps trying to shake off the bottle, "Son of a bitch."

I laugh, "Here..."

He holds up his hand and I grab the bottle. "Ready?"

He nodded and I ripped the bottle away from his hand, peeling off skin. Dean exhaled painfully, "Freak-ing-ay."

"Suck it up Sally." I went to head out.

"Hold up a sec..." He turned to the waitress, "I'll give you forty bucks for that laughing fisherman."

...++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++...

At nightfall we were heading back into the Hell House with 45's filled with wrought iron rounds. After having that fisherman run and annoy the shit out of Sam the whole way here, Dean had left it running in the woods. Through the trees I could see the flashlights from the cops looking for it, "I'm telling ya, I heard something. Coming from over there."

We didn't stick around long enough to see if they found it. We enter the house with our guns drawn, S.W.A.T. style sweeping the house room by room. Dean adjusts the gun in his hand, "Dammit Sam,I barely have any skin left on my palm."

Sam chuckles, "I'm not touching that line with a ten foot pole."

Dean frowned and shined the light in Sam's eyes and he winced.

"You guys think Mordechai's home?" I ask.

Dean shook his head and there was a sound behind us that made us all jump.

"Me either." came a voice and we all pulled our guns up.

"Woah, woah. It is just us." Ed said. We lowered our guns and the flashlights. I picked my light back up and shined it right in their face, "You assholes trying to get yourselves killed?"

Ed shrunk away, "We're just trying to get a book and movie deal, ok?"

I shook my head and then I heard a noise. All the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I draw up on the basement door. I can hear the sound of a knife being sharpened clearly. Sam and Dean flank me, guns up.

"Oh crap, " Ed breaths and creeps behind us with his camera, "Ah guys, you wanna ... you wanna open that door for us?"

Dean never looks away, "Why don't you?"

A few seconds pass and then Mordechai bursts through the door with an axe. We all empty our guns into him. He holds there for a moment and then fades away. Sam, Dean and I look at each other and then check the room around us. Something still doesn't feel right. Ed breaths, "Oh God. He's gone. He's gone."

"Did you get him?" Harry shakes Ed.

"Yeah they got him."

"No, on camera, did you get him on camera."

"Ah, ah, I ..." Ed fumbles around with his camera. I catch the misting out of the corner of my eye and before I can say anything, Mordechai slams his axe through the camera and disappears turns and grabs Ed by the collar, "Hey! Didn't you guys post that B.S. story we gave you?"

"Of course we did. But our server crashed."

I exhale, "Shit. Dean, the story isn't up."

"Great. So these guns don't work. Sam? Got any bright ideas?

Ed scurried around us, pulling Harry with him, "Yeah, we are outta here."

As they run past us Mordechai appears between them and the door, screaming. They run to another door but it is locked. I am looking around for anything, Sam starts throwing stuff around, searching.

Ed is yelling, "The power of Christ compels you, the power of Christ compels you. THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!"

We are out of options, "Hey!..." I yell and Mordechai looks around, "Come and get me you piece of shit."

He swings his axe but I grab it and shove him against the opposite wall. He shoves back and lifts up the axe handle against my throat. Ed and Harry scamper out behind me. Mordechai shoves the handle forward, I can feel it crushing my windpipe. I shove back, struggling.

"DEAN!," I struggle to breath, "DEAN!"

He comes running around the corner, "Hey ugly!"

He holds up a spray can and sets it on fire. Mordechai mists.

"Go go go!" He grabs my shoulder and pushes me toward Sam. Under my feet there is kerosene spilt everywhere. Sam pulls me toward the door and just about when we are there I turn, "Dean, what the hell are we gonna do?"

"Mordechai can't leave the house, we can't kill him - We improvise." Dean holds up the lighter, flicks it and throws it on the kerosene. We all stumble outside.

Sam turns, "That's your solution? Burn the whole damn place to the ground?"

Dean is contemplating his decision, "Well nobody will go in anymore. I mean look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty but it works."

"Well what if the legend changes again and Mordechai is allowed to leave the house?" Sam asks.

"Well - well then we'll just have to come back."

We stand there and watch the house burn. Dean looks over at me and raises an eyebrow. I mouth, '_I'm fine'_. He nods and we return to the car. Sam pauses, "Kinda makes you wonder. Of all the thing we hunted, how many existed just cause people believed in them."

I snort, "Sam, that's way above my pay grade."

* * *

The next evening me and Dean are sitting on the top of a picnic table at the trailer park watching Ed and Harry pack up their shit in the distance. Sam is making a call in the car, looking for a lead on a new case. Dean grabs my chin and lifts up, I try to jerk away but he clamps his hand down. "Stop that shit and just hold still."

He turns my head back and forth a little, checking the bruises I knew were starting to show from the axe handle, "I told you that I am fine."

"You seem to have a habit of underplaying stuff. I just wanted to make sure." He holds my head and watches my eyes, not letting go. I finally let up and relax into his hand. He pulls my face closer...we both jump at the sound of the car door closing. We get up and walk over to meet Sam. We could hear Ed and Harry coming around on the road.

"...I was thinking that Mordechai has a really super high attack bonus." Harry was saying. Ed giggled, "Man I got the munchies right now." He spots us standing there and nods.

"Hey guys." Sam says.

"Should we tell 'em?" Harry asks.

Harry smiled, "Hey, might as well, you know, they're going to read about it in the trades."

"So this morning we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer."

Dean scoffs, "Oh yeah, wrong number?"

"No, smart-ass. She read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights. Maybe even have us write it." Ed said. They throw their bags into the back of their already overloaded car.

"Oh and create the RPG." Harry added.

Dean raised his eyebrows, "The what?"

"Role-playing-game." Ed said, annoyed

"R-ight." Dean said.

"A little lingo for you. Anyhoo, ahhh, excuse us, we're off to la-la land." Sam slapped Ed on the shoulder, "Well congratulations guys. That sounds really great."

"Yeah. That's awesome, best of luck to you." Dean suppresses his amusement.

"Oh yeah, luck. That has nothing to do with it. It's about talent. Sheer, unabashed, talent. Later."

They pull away with the trailer creaking on the hitch. Dean shakes his head, "Wow!"

"Hey guys, " I start, "I have to tell you something."

They both turn and look at me, "I made that call this morning and said I was a producer. Promised them the movie deal."

Dean flips his head back and laughs. Sam giggles and looks over the roof of the Impala at Dean, "Truce?"

Dean pauses and presses his lips, "Yeah truce. At least for the next hundred miles."

I smile, we climb in and drive off. Before we get twenty miles Dean gets a text. He looks over at Sam, "It's from Dad."

He holds up the phone for me to see. All it says is _Fitchburg, Wisconsin._


	8. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**A/N: Revised 4/17/15**

From Richardson, Texas to Fitchburg, Wisconsin it is about a fifteen hour drive. Sam had been sprawled out in the backseat, passed out. It was a little after 2AM when Dean pulled onto the shoulder of the road, turning down the radio.

"Hey Jen? You wanna drive for a while? I'm beat."

"Sure." I scooted to the driver's side and Dean walked around the car. As soon as he was in I sped off.

"Take it easy there tiger."

I looked over at him, raised my eyebrows and just turned up the radio, a little CCR was blasting out of the speaker. He just shook his head, crossed his arms, leaned against the window and fell asleep. The roads were fairly clear so I was able to keep the gas pedal to the floor. Right as the sun was rising in the east Dean stirred.

"Hmm..." He stretched, "The hell are we?"

"Just about to cross into Illinois." I said as I rubbed my eyes. "Have about eight hours left."

"K..., " He reached into the back seat and shoved Sam's leg, "Get up, we have calls to make."

Dean then turned to me, "You want me to drive?"

"No, I'm good."

Sam sat up in the back and grabbed his phone and started making calls. Dean watched the road in front of him. A few hours later Sam hung up from his last phone call. "Guys we got nothing."

Dean shook his head, "Yeah. You probably missed something, that's what."

"Dude, I ran LexisNexis, local police reports, newspapers, I couldn't find a single red flag. Are you sure you got the town name is right?"

"Yeah, I double checked. It's Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Dad wouldn't have sent us anything if it wasn't important Sammy."

Sam was getting frustrated, "Well I'm telling you I looked and all I could find was a big steamy pile of nothing. If Dad's sending us hunting for something I don't know what."

"Well maybe he's going to meet us there."

"Yeah. Cause he's been so easy to find up to this point."

I was frustrated, "Hey boys! Sam you are a real smart ass you know? Dean, I am sure there is something worth killing there if your dad sent us that."

They both quieted. Then Sam mumbled at Dean, "I don't know what makes you so sure about all of this."

"Cause I am the oldest, which means I'm always right."

"What? No it doesn't."

"I gotta agree with Dean on this one. The oldest always knows what's what."

Dean smirked and then held out his fist which I bumped. I drove the Impala past a sign that said 'Welcome to Fitchburg'.

"Well, here we are." I parked the Impala on the main street. Dean hopped out.

"I'm gonna grab us some coffee." He said as he started across the street. I leaned back against the car and looked around. It was chilly out, but for early December it wasn't bad. Snow littered the ground in patches but not piles. Something was definitely wrong, the town was small but not small enough to have this few of people running around. Dean was coming back across the street and handed us each a coffee, "Well...the waitress thinks the local Freemasons are up to something sneaky but other than that no one's heard about anything freaky going on. Coffee alright?"

I nodded.

"Hey, either of you two got the time?" Sam asked.

Dean looked down at his watch, "Ten after four. Why?"

I pointed at a playground down the street a little, only one little boy was playing, "Awful quiet around here for mid-afternoon? I know it is a two goat town but..."

Dean thought for a moment, "Yeah, school should be out?"

Sam nodded and walked up the street. Me and Dean stay by the car and watch him approach a women on a bench. She was probably the boy's mother. He sat and talked with him.

"What do you think is going on here?" I asked.

Dean kicked the ground with the toe of his boot. "I don't know yet, but you were right earlier about Dad sending us here. He wouldn't have done that unless there was something going on here."

After a while Sam came back over, "She said that kid's have been getting sick for a few weeks. Like incurable sick. She said like five or six."

"Alrighty then, " I said, "Let's get to the hospital."

Dean drove us to Dane County Memorial hospital. We changed into suits and then walked into the reception desk. Dean reached into his pocket and flipped out a business card that he showed me, I sniggered. He smiled and handed it to Sam, who immediately panicked, "Dude. Dude I am NOT using this ID."

I tried not to smirk and failed, "Why not Sam?"

"Why not? Smartass. Cause it says bikini inspector on it!"

Dean jerked his head toward the receptionist, "Don't worry she won't look that close all right?

Hell, she won't even ask to see it. It's all about confidence Sammy."

He spun Sam around and pushed him to the desk. The receptionist looks up and Sam smiles awkwardly, "Hi...hi I'm Doctor Jerry Caplin, Centers for Disease Control. "

"Can I see some ID?" Dean looked over at me and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from busting out laughing. Sam turned and gave us a dirty look, Dean cleared his throat and shrugged. Sam quickly flashed the ID, holding his thumb over part of it, "Now could you direct me to the pediatrics ward please?"

"Okay well, just go down that hall, turn left and up the stairs." Sam turns and has a major bitchface going. Me and Dean are grinning and Sam pushes past both of us. "Follow me. It's upstairs."

Me and Dean lose it in the stairwell, "You two need to grow up."

We reach the upper floor and walk down the hall. Dean grabs my shoulder and points. In the room he is pointing at is an awful looking old lady sitting in a wheelchair. There is an inverted cross hanging on the wall. I look up over my shoulder at Dean and he makes an 'I got nothing' face.

"Guys!" Sam yells over his shoulder. We ask around until we find the chief of staff for the pediatrics, a Dr. Heidecker.

"Thanks for seeing us doc." Dean is all in professional mode. We all introduced ourselves.

Heidecker nodded, "Well I'm glad you guys are here. I was just about to call CDC myself. How'd you find out anyways?"

Dean looked over at us and then back at the doc, "Oh some GP, I forget his name, he called Atlanta and, uh, he must've beat you to the punch."

Sam stepped in before this got away from Dean, "So you have six cases so far?"

"Yeah, five weeks. At first we thought it was garden variety bacterial pneumonia. Not that newsworthy. But now..."

"The kids aren't responding to treatments." I finished.

The doc looked at a loss, "The kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their white cell counts keep going down. Their immune systems just aren't doing their job. It's like their bodies are ... wearing out."

"You ever see anything like this before?" Sam asks.

"Never this severe." A nurse comes over and gets Heidecker to sign some paperwork, "And the way it spreads...that's a new one for me." She adds.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

She looks up, "It works its way through families. But only the children, one sibling after another."

Dean nodded, "You mind if we interview a few of the kids?"

"Oh, they're not conscious." she replies. Sam is taken aback, "None of them?"

"Nope."

That is a new one for me. "Can we talk to any of the parents then?" I ask. Heidecker shrugs, "Well, if you think it'll help."

"Yes, who was the most recent?"

"That would be Mary and Bethany Jackson. I will go and get their parents for you guys."

I turned to the boys, "What the hell?"

"I'm at a loss." Sam said. Dean was just standing there, I could see that he was thinking about something but he wasn't sharing. Dr. Heidecker walked back with a man that looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Mr. Jackson, these are Dr. Caplin and Roth from the CDC, they are investigators." He turned to me momentarily, "I'm sorry I forgot what you do."

I reach out my hand to Mr. Jackson, "I am Dr. Jones, I am a specialist in pulmonary bacteria and viruses."

He nods and Heidecker leaves us with him, "I should get back to my girls."

Sam puts on the puppy dog , concerned face, "We understand that, and we really appreciate you talking to us. Now you say Mary is the oldest?"

"Thirteen."

"Ok. And she came down with it first, right? And then..."

Mr. Jackson nodded, "Bethany, the next night."

"They got sick within twenty-four hours of each other?" I asked

"I guess. Look, I, uh, I already went through all this with the doctor."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, just a few more questions if you don't mind. How do you think they caught pneumonia? Were they out in the cold, anything like that?"

"No. We think it was an open window."

"Both times?" Dean looked surprised.

"The first time, I, I don't really remember but the second time for sure. And I know I closed it before I put Bethany to bed."

"Did she open it up then?" I inquired.

"It's a second story window with a ledge. No one else could've."

I smiled, "Thank you for your time Mr. Jackson."

We turn and walk back down the hall. Dean smiles.

"Hi, I'm doctor fancy pants specialist," He mocks my voice.

"Alright there Dr. Roth. It worked, plus everyone brings their A-game when they think they are being watched by someone competent."

"You know this might not be anything supernatural. It might just be pneumonia. " Sam says.

Dean shakes his head, "Maybe. Or maybe something opened that window. I don't know man, look, Dad sent us down here for a reason. I think we might be barking up the right tree."

"You know boys, I bet that house is going to be empty for a while. Doesn't look like either of the parents are in a hurry to leave."

* * *

It wasn't even a challenge to break into the house, the window in their kitchen wasn't latched. We were in the girls' bedroom, going over every corner with the EMF.

"Either of you got anything?" Sam asks.

"Nada." I answer. Dean just shakes his head. I put my EMF away and start going all detective on the room. If there is no EMF that rules out spirit, demon and the like. So that meant it had to be some sort of monster or spell. In that case there had to be something left behind. I started by searching the edges of the room until I got to the window. I snap my fingers, "Hey guys. You need to see this."

Right on the ledge of the window was a rotted hand print, "Looks like you were right Dean."

Sam looks confused, "What in the hell leaves a handprint that rots out wood?"

I look over at Dean, he looks like he is going to be sick, "I know why Dad sent us here. He's faced this thing before. He wants us to finish the job."

"What is it?" I ask.

Dean swallowed hard, "It is a shtriga."

* * *

We pull up to a motel office and we all pile out,

"So what the hell is a shtriga?" Sam asks. Dean just kinda shrugs his shoulders, "It's ... kinda like a witch I think. I don't know much about 'em."

Sam's voice begins to raise, "Well I've never heard of it. And it's not in Dad's journal. "

"Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin, about sixteen, seventeen years ago. You were there. You don't remember?"

"No"

"And I guess he caught wind of the things in Fitchburg now and kicked us the town."

I grab Dean and turn him around, "So this shtriga, your dad hunted one before?"

"Yeah, maybe..."

Sam is getting even more frustrated, "But if Dad went after it why is it still breathing air?"

Dean becomes more animated, huffy, "Cause it got away."

Sam scoffs, "Got away?"

Dean is getting pissed, I turn to Sam, "Back off for a second Sam."

Sam ignored me, "What do you remember?"

"Nothin'. I was a kid all right?" Dean said a little too defensive. We leave Sam standing at the car, "Dean? What is up?"

He shook his head, "Not now..." He turns to the boy behind the counter, "Two rooms please."

The boy who is like twelve, looks up boredly from the game he is playing, "A king or two queens?"

Dean glances outside at Sam who is still pouting, "Whatever she wants and two queens..."

"Yeah I'll bet." The boy says under his breath. Damn. Little smartass.

Dean turned to the boy, "What'd you say?" he was in no mood for that shit.

"Nice car!" The boy smirks. I place hand on Dean's chest and push him back. He just looks down at my hand and then shrugs it off. A women enters and smiles at us.

"Hi." She says.

Dean nods at her, "Hi"

"You two checking in?"

"Yes." I reply.

She turns to her son, " Ahh, do me a favor, go get your brother some dinner."

"I'm helping a guest!" The boy wines. She gives him a look and he turns to go, speaking over his shoulder, "Two queens and whatever the woman wants."

Dean lets out a fake laugh, "Funny kid."

"Oh, yeah. He thinks so. Will that be cash or credit? Oh and for you ma'am?"

"A king and do you take MasterCard?" She nods and I hand her my credit card. She takes it, runs it and hands it and two keys to me.

"Here you are."

I smile, "Thanks"

* * *

For hours the three had been sitting in the boy's room looking at paper after paper and web page after webpage. Dean was agitated and pissy, both Jen and Sam had noticed. He couldn't sit still and kept moving from his bed to the table and back. Jen watched him in between reading the kids' medical files, she knew something was off. She was genuinely concerned for him, Sam just ignored Sam looked up from his laptop, "Well, you were right. Heh. It wasn't very easy to find but you were right. Shtriga is a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about them trace back to Ancient Rome. They feed off spiritus vitae. "

Dean pressed his face together, "Spiri-what?"

Jen spoke up absentmindedly, still focusing on the files, "translates to breath of life. It's Latin."

Dean and Sam looked over at her, surprised. She looks up, "What? My Latin is not as rusty as some other ancient languages."

Dean looked over at her, brow furrowed, "You speak Latin?"

She kept reading, "Latin, a couple of old Nordic dialects, most European stuff I can figure out but I will admit it won't be exact. African dialects are a crap shoot and anything Asiatic really sucks."

Jen looked up again and Sam and Dean where looking at her like she was crazy,

"What?" She was taken aback and looked between them. They looked at each other and shrugged. She sat up real quick and looked over, "So are these things like dementors?"

Dean looked confused and Sam just laughed, "I guess so, sure."

"What the hell is a dementor?" Dean asked. Sam laughed again, "It is from Harry Potter. They suck out souls. I guess that is a pretty accurate comparison."

"Nerds." Dean sighed. "Anyways didn't the doc say that the kids' bodies were wearing out?"

Sam nodded, "It's a thought. you know she takes your vitality maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, shtrigas can feed off anyone but they prefer..."

"Children". Dean replied firmly.

"Guys this is bothering the hell outta me." Jen was flipping through the files, "Not that I have a strong medical background but I wouldn't have diagnosed these as a string of pneumonia cases...Like here, Bethany and Mary aren't responding to antibiotics. It should have cleared up their lungs and stuff like that, but they are only getting worse because of it. It is weird..."

"I wouldn't worry about that right now, " Sam trailed off looking at the page he had found, "Get this, it says ' Shtrigas are ...invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man.'"

Dean shook his head, "No, that's not right. She's vulnerable when she feeds."

Sam looked up, confused at what his brother thought he knew, "What?"

"If you catch her when she's eating you can blast her with consecrated wrought iron. Ahhh... buckshot or rounds I think."

"How do you know that?"

"Dad told me. I remember." Dean replied, getting frustrated again.

Sam rolled his eyes, "Oh. Huh. So uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?"

"Nope, that's it smartass." Dean got up and towered over his sitting brother. Sam went to get up and face him. Jen knew she had to jump in before shit got too out of hand. She ran in between them, "You two need to cool it. Now. Let's take a walk Dean."

She practically had to drag Dean out of the door.

"Walk." She told him sternly and shoved him forward. He obliged. That was one of the things he really respected about her: she was a ballsy little shit. But he was too pissed at Sam to even smirk. They walked side by side on the walkway for a while in silence. She had her hands shoved in her jean pockets and his were stuffed into his coat. Jen finally broke the silence, "So are you gonna tell me what's up your ass?"

"Don't know what you are talking 'bout." Dean never looked over and just kept walking.

"Dean, talk to me. Something is up." They had reached a park and Dean sat down on a bench, arm across the back. Jen didn't even hesitate to sit underneath it. She looked over at him, waiting. He leaned forward and put his hands in his face for a moment, thinking. Jen just waited, giving him time.

"You are the oldest, right?" He finally asked.

"Yeah, I have two younger sisters."

"And you would do anything for them? Die, kill, whatever it takes? As long as they were safe?"

Her mouth twitched and hardened, "Wouldn't even hesitate."

Dean looked over at her set face for a moment, he nodded, "That's why you left them, huh?"

Jen just sat there staring forward, jaw clenched. This was not something that she wanted to get into right now. It still hurt, but she could live with her choices.

"Yeah, that's what I figured... But this isn't about you." He sat back up and put his arm behind her. He absent-mindedly played with her long curls, "You know when you are like ten, twelve and you love them but you just get sick of them? You think you're too cool for them?"

She laughed and finally looked up at his face, he looked back and smiled played on his lips. She nodded and he continued, "It was about then, Sammy would have been like six, we had been in this shitty motel for almost a week. I was climbing the walls and he was asleep. I stepped out and played arcade games for a few hours, I didn't even realize what time it was until the guy workin' kicked me out. When I came back in, somethin' was off. I grabbed the shotgun and went into Sam and that damn thing was feeding on him. I just stood there, scared. Dad comes running in seconds later and tries to shoot the damn thing, but it was too late. It is my fault he missed his shot, it is my fault these kids are getting hurt"

"Dean, you were ten. You can't hold that over yourself."

He just shook his head and turned away from her, "You don't understand."

She reached up and grabbed his chin which was rough from the hair starting to grow in. Jen makes him look her in the eyes, "I understand perfectly. You wanna know why I left home? Because I was putting my sisters in danger, putting my family in danger. I understand how much that shit sucks. I know how when anything happens to them, anything, a freaking skinned knee, it feels like it is your fault. But man, the past is the past. You can't change what has happened. You just gotta saddle up and get back on the damn horse."

He chuckled. Dean tightened the arm behind Jen and pulled her in, so that her head was tucked under his chin. He loosens slightly and kissed her on the head. He wanted to do more but stopped himself. Dean didn't know why but he couldn't bring himself to just treat Jen like the women he picked up at bars. She commanded more respect than that. So he just sat there for a moment like that. And it was weird to him, because he noticed things about her that he didn't with other women. Like what she always wore when they were hunting: jeans, boots, tank with a button down and an oversized, worn dark brown leather jacket. Or the fact that she always wore five different band rings; three on the right and two on the left, all silver. Jen wore a short cross necklace and had leather braided bands on her left wrist. Her hair was always a long mess, but sexy as hell. Dean didn't understand why he noticed, and he didn't necessarily like that he was, he just did.

"Thanks Jen. I think I'm cool enough to head back." Dean finally said. They got up to go, after about ten steps Dean sighed and reached to pull her hand out of her pocket. He felt her hesitate, he pushed his fingers between her fingers and eventually Dean feels Jen relax. They walk like that until they are about to turn the corner for the motel, when she lets go.

As soon as they entered the room Sam started talking, "So, assuming we can kill it when it eats we still gotta find the thing first, which ain't gonna be a cakewalk. Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting. "

"Human form? Great." Jen rolls her eyes.

"What kinda human disguise?" Dean asks.

"Historically, something innocuous. Could be anything, but it's usually a feeble old woman, which might be how the witches as old crones legend got started."

Dean starts shaking his hand and crosses the room, "Hang on."

Jen follows him, "What is it?"

Dean grabs a map and Jen looks at it over his arm,

"Holy Shit." She breaths.

Sam scrambles over, "What?"

Dean points, "Check this out. I marked down all the addresses of the victims. Now these are the houses that have been hit so far, and dead center? "

"The hospital." Sam says.

Dean smiles, "The hospital. Now when we were there I saw a patient, an old woman."

Sam looks amused, "An old person huh?"

"Yeah."

"In a hospital? Phew." Sam sniggers, "Better call the Coast Guard."

Jen giggles, Dean shoots her a dirty look, "Well listen, smart-ass, she had an inverted cross hanging on her wall."

Sam goes deadpan and Jen tries to wipe the smile off her face. Dean raises an eyebrow and Jen sighs and nods.

* * *

That night right before dawn, we were running quietly down the hall, guns drawn, along the edge of the wall. I was the first to the corner of the next corridor and I crouch and look around the edge. I wave my hand down and Dean and Sam stop where they are and duck down. Heidecker is walking away down the corridor, talking to a nurse. Suddenly there is a crash behind me. I whip around, gun drawn. Sam had backed into a cart. I glance around the corner, Heidecker is looking, turning to walk back down. Shit. I wave my hand at them and we take off back the way we had just come and duck into a room and wait.

"Dumbass." I say under my breath at Sam. He steps on my foot and I kick him in the shin. Dean tries not to laugh. Once Heidecker passes we sneak back out and head down to that old lady's room, Dean enters first. Sam and I hang back, guns drawn. Her wheelchair is facing away from us, I think she is sleeping. Dean turns and gives me a questioning look, I just shrug my shoulders. He keeps leaning closer and closer to her, trying to see if she was the shtriga.

"Who the hell are you?" She yells in his face. We all jump and I almost unload my gun into her just on reflex. Dean leaps back against a cabinet, spilling the the contents of the shelves, pulling up his gun.

The old woman snarls, "Who's there? You trying to steal my stuff? They're always stealing around here."

Sam recovers the quickest and turns on the lights, "No! Ah, ma'am, we're maintenance. We're sorry. We thought you were sleeping."

"Ahhh, nonsense. I was sleeping with my peepers open, " She cackles and then points at the wall, "And fix that crucifix, would ya? I've asked four damn times already!"

I could still see that Dean was freaked, but he flips the crucifix, "There you go ma'am"

Well this turned out to be a huge bust. Right as the sun was coming up we pulled back into the motel parking lot. Sam starts laughing, "I was sleeping with my peepers open?"

Dean shook his head, "I almost smoked that old girl, I swear. It's not funny!"

I snorted, "You and me both."

Sam kept sniggering, " Oh man, you shoulda seen your guys' faces. I thought you were going to shit yourselves."

I sigh, "Keep on laughing Sam. Now we are back to square one, which means we have jack-shit."

We were heading to their room when Dean held out his arm, "Hang on."

I look over and the boy that checked us in is sitting on the curb in front of the office looking depressed as all hell. Dean walks up to the boy, "Hey what's wrong?"

"My...my brother is sick." he looks up at Dean and then at me.

"The little guy?" Dean asks

The boy nods, "Pneumonia. He's in the hospital. It's my fault."

"Ah c'mon, how?"

The boy sniffles, trying to control his voice, "I shoulda made sure the window was latched. He wouldn't've got pneumonia if the window was latched. "

Dean looks between me and Sam. I frown, shit. The damn thing came here while we were chasing down that old bag at the hospital. Dean kneels down and looks at the boy, "Listen to me. I can promise you that this is not your fault. Okay?"

"It's my job to look after him."

I look over and see the mother running out of the motel toward the car, scrambling to get her stuff together. She calls over to the boy, "Michael, I want you to turn on the no vacancy sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service so don't bother with any of the rooms."

"Mom, I'm going with you."

"Not now, Michael"

"But I gotta see Asher!"

Dean puts his hand on the kid's shoulder, "Hey Michael. Hey. I know how you feel - I'm a big brother too - but you gotta go easy on your Mom right now, ok?"

The mother drops her handbag, "Dammit!"

I reach and pick it up. I hand it to her.

"Thank you" she says.

Dean speaks up behind me, "Listen, you're in no condition to drive - why don't you let me and Jen give you a lift to the hospital."

"No, I couldn't possibly..."

I smile at her, "It is really no trouble at all. We insist."

Dean takes her keys off of her and climbs into the drivers seat of her car. I climb into the back. The entire way to the hospital Dean gives me looks in the rearview mirror. I am texting Sam, deciding what our next move will be. No one talks. When we get out at the hospital the mother runs ahead of us. Dean turns to me, "We're gonna kill this thing. I want it dead, now."

"Okay Dean, let's check on the kids. I texted Sam on the way here and he is going to the library to read on old cases.

* * *

For hours Jen and Dean walked around the hospital, questioned staff, and just waited. Now they were sitting inside the pediatrics ward on a couch, waiting for Sam to call. It was one of those small couches like you would find in a library, hard and uncomfortable. Jen was laying with her head on his one leg and her legs reached over the arm of the couch on the other side. She had been watching the staff for hours while pretending to flip through magazines, the medical files still bothered her. Dean's phone rang and they both jumped up.

"Hey" Dean whispers, but Jen stands close enough that she can hear Sam on the other line.

"Hey. How's the kid?"

Dean shakes his head, "He is not good. Where are you at?"

"I am at the library.I've been trying to find out as much as I can about this Shtriga."

"What you got?"

"Well, bad news. I started with Fort Douglas around the time you said Dad was there" Sam stated.

Dean nodded and sighed. "Yep."

"Same deal. Before that, there was, uh, Ogdenville, before that North Haverbrook, and Brockway. Every 15 to 20 years it hits a new town. Dean, this thing is just getting started in Fitchburg. In all these other places it goes on for months. Dozens of kids before the shtriga finally moves on. The kids just ... languish in comas and then they die."

Jen looks at Dean and mouths, 'how long?'.

Dean relays the question to Sam, "How far back's this thing go?"

"Ah, I don't know. The earliest mention I could find is this place called "Black River Falls" back in the 1890s. Talk about a horror show... Whoa."

Dean panics, "Sam?"

"Hold on... I'm looking at a photograph right now of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed. One of the Doctors is Heidacker."

"And?" Dean said rolling his eyes.

"And this picture was taken in 1893."

Fuck. That was the only thing that went through Jen's head.

Dean's jaw clenched, "You sure?

"Yeah, absolutely."

Dean snapped the phone shut. Dr. Heidecker was sitting on Asher's bed. Dean swung his hand to the back of his pants and made a move forward. Jen stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She tried to make it look as natural as possible as not to alert anyone else waiting in the room. She caught his hand on the gun and tried to pry his hand off of it. Dean pushed against her at first. She stood on tip-toes so that she could hiss in his ear, "Dean. Listen to me. It isn't going to do any good. He needs to be feeding."

He lessens his grip but still holds on to it. She places a hand on his chest, "You are no use to those kids from a jail cell."

Dean dropped his hands pulled her to him. Jen's face was buried in his chest, he rested his chin in her hair, "Jen, we are going to get this son of a bitch. Tonight."

Just as they had turned their back, Heidecker walked out of the ward and cleared his throat. Dean looks up but Jen keeps watching Dean's face.

"So what's the CDC come up with so far?"

Dean can't speak because he is biting his tongue so hard. He looks like he is still considering shooting Heidecker. Jen finally turned around, staying between the two.

"We are working through a few ideas, " she smiled, "You will know as soon as we do."

"Well, nothing's more important to me than these kids. Just let me know if I can help."

"I will do that, " Dean manages to spit out. Heidecker nods at each of them and walks away.

"Dean, " Jen shoves him to the exit, "We have to go now."

Jen never lets go of his arm the entire way down to the lobby. She flips open her phone while

they are still in the stairwell.

"Yeah? Sam, you need to pick us up now. We are going to keep walking toward the motel."

Sam was pretty sure he knew why. He caught up to them about a mile from the hospital. Jen had to pretty much shove Dean into the car. She was watching him warily. When they were back at the motel Sam finally spoke, "We should have thought of this before. A doctor's a perfect disguise. You're trusted, you can control the whole thing."

Jen nodded, "He can put whatever he wants on the files, no one will ever suspect him."

Dean throws his jacket against the bed and begins pacing, "That fucking son of a bitch."

Sam sighed, "I'm surprised you didn't draw on him right there."

Jen was perched on a chair still watching Dean, " Oh, trust me. He gave it a shot."

Dean mumbles, "Yeah well, I'm not going to open fire in a freakin' pediatrics ward."

"You thought about it." Jen accused.

"Wouldn't have done me any good, because the bastard's bullet proof unless he's chowing down on something." He turns to Jen, "You should have let me."

"I wasn't packing," she said, "Which is probably a really good thing cause I probably would have just put a clip in him on principle alone. You wouldn't have even had to draw up."

"See Dean, she is learning." Sam says.

"Doesn't matter cause now I know how we are gonna gank it."

Sam was confused and looked over at his brother, "What do you mean?"

"Shtriga, they work through siblings right?"

Jen knew exactly where this was going, it had crossed her mind too. But she would do anything to get the job done and wasn't sure if this was crossing the line a little bit.

"You think it is coming after Michael next." Jen said.

Sam looked horrified, "Well we gotta get him outta here."

Jen shook her head but Dean spoke up, "No. No, that would blow the whole deal. "

Sam turned astonished at his brother, "What?"

Jen looked down and nodded, " We need to use the kid to kill the shtriga."

"You wanna use the kid as bait? Are you nuts? No! Forget it. That's out of the question."

Dean gets up and faces Sam, "It's not out of the question Sam it's the only way. If this thing disappears it could be years before we get another chance.

"Michael's a kid. And I'm not going to dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook."

"Dad did not send me here to walk away."

"Send YOU here? He didn't send you here - he sent us here."

"This isn't about you, Sam. I'm the one who screwed up, all right. It's my fault. There's no telling how many kids have gotten hurt because of me." He stopped himself, looking nervous and ashamed, Sam just looked at Dean, "What are you saying, Dean? How is it your fault?"

Jen spoke quietly, "Dean, you need to tell him what you told me."

There was long pause and the Dean told the story that he told Jen the previous day. His voice was filled with regret, he was so ashamed of himself. Finally, Dean finished, "...Dad just ... grabbed us and booked. Dropped us off at Pastor Jim's about three hours away, but by the time he got back to Fort Douglas the shtriga had disappeared, it was just gone. It never surfaced until now. You know, Dad never spoke about it again, I didn't ask. But he...ah...he looked at me different, you know? Which was worse. Not that I blame him. He gave me an order and I didn't listen, I almost got you killed. "

Sam echoed Jen from earlier, "You were just a kid."

"Don't you do that too. Dad knew this was unfinished business for me. He sent me here to finish it."

Sam shook his head again, unsure, "But using Michael - I don't know Dean. I mean, how 'bout one of us hides under the covers, you know, we'll be the bait."

"It won't work," Jen said, "If it has to feed, it will be able to tell. It will see us and book."

Dean nodded, "It's gotta be the kid." And he walked right out of the room.

* * *

I ran after Dean when he left the room and Sam was hot on my heels. Dean headed straight for the motel's office.

"Hey Michael!" He yells.

The boy came running up to the front, "Have you heard anything about Asher?"

"Sorry kid we haven't heard anything," I say, I am trying to find a good way to break it to the kid

that a monster is actually what made his brother sick. Honestly though, Sam might be the best one for this job. He is more of a people person. But it is Dean who speaks up, "Kid, we need your help to catch the thing that hurt your brother."

"No one hurt my brother, he got sick cause the window was open." Michael was nervous. Sam spoke softly, "No, your brother was attacked by a monster."

Michael goes for the phone, I go to cut him off but Dean puts his arm in front of me. Michael picks up the phone, "You're crazy! Just go away or I'm calling the cops."

Dean holds up his hands, "Hang on a second. Just listen to me. You have to believe me, ok? This thing came through the window and it attacked your brother. I've seen it. I know what it looks like. Cause it attacked my brother once too."

Michael looks between all of us and slowly begins to hang up the phone, " This thing...is it...like...it has this long...black robe?"

I nod, "You saw it, didn't you?"

"I thought I was having a nightmare. " He whispered. Dean looked at the boy, his eyes were sad, "I'd give anything not to tell you this, but sometimes nightmares are real."

"So, why are you telling me?"

"Kid," I step forward a little bit, "We need your help to get it."

"My help?"

Dean nods, "We can kill it. Me and him and her, that's what we do. But we can't do it without you."

"What? No!"

Dean face hardens, "Michael, listen to me. This thing hurt Asher. And it's gonna keep hurting kids unless we stop it, understand me?"

The boy just looks at all of us horrified. Sam finally reaches past me and grabs Dean's shoulder, "Come on, man. Let's go."

We left and went back to the room. I wished the kid would have said yes, but that was a lot for an adult to handle, let alone a twelve year old boy. We entered the room, Dean turned to Sam, "Well that went crappy. Now what?"

"What did you expect?" Sam asked. I sit down on the bed, "Dean, he is just a kid, he..."

There is a knock on the door that cuts me off. Dean opens it and Michael is standing right outside, "If you kill it, will Asher get better?"

Dean lets out a breath, "Honestly? We don't know. "

Michael nods and bits his lip. I gotta give it to the kid, he is trying his best to not be afraid, "You said you were a big brother. "

Dean just nods. Michael thinks for a moment, "You'd take care of your little brother? You'd do anything for him?"

"Yeah I would."

"Me too. I'll help."

Sweet. Now we are getting somewhere. Dean looks back at me and I nod. I head out to the back of the Impala. He is going to stay with Sam and try to talk Michael through what is going to happen. I open up the trunk, unzip a bag and start throwing supplies in. Night vision camera, our handguns, shotguns, the wrought iron rounds. I threw in some extra shit for good measure.

I walked to the office without even asking the kid if it was okay and started setting up. The boys slept in the same bedroom so I started mounting night vision cameras that focused on the window and the beds. I had to do a little fancy wiring to make them a wireless feed for Sam's laptop. I am done just before dark. Dean walks in with Michael, "Jen set up these cameras with night vision so that we will be able to see you and anything else as clear as day."

Michael still looked worried, I smiled at him, "Don't worry kid, we know what we are doing. Dean these are all set up and ready to go, we got sound and sight."

Dean nods at me. Michael speaks up again, "What do I do?"

Dean sits on the bed with him, "Just stay under the covers. "

"And if it shows up?"

"We'll be right in the next room. We're gonna come in with guns. So, as soon as we do you roll off this bed and you crawl under it. "

Michael looks at him and then over at me, "What if you shoot me?"

I smirk, "We aren't going to shoot you. Dean and Sam are good shots and I am too. You will be fine.."

Dean nods, "We're not going to fire until you're clear ok? Have you heard a gunshot before?"

"Like in the movies?"

I bite my lip and then tell the kid, "It is gonna be a hell of a lot louder. You just stay down and do not come out until we say so. That way you are safe."

"Do you understand?" Dean asks. Michael slowly nods. Man the kid looked terrified. Dean looks at him, "You are sure you wanna do this?"

Michael doesn't answer for a long time, Dean looks over at me. His eyes are helpless. If this boy doesn't do this we could be screwed for another fifteen years.

"You don't have to, it's ok, I won't be mad." Dean says to him.

"No I'm ok. Just don't shoot me."

I nod, and relax, "I promise nothing is going to happen to you."

Dean gets up and we head into the next room. "Thank God." he says.

"I didn't think he was gonna do it there for a while, but the kid trusts you."

Dean smiles to himself, but I see it. We sit down with Sam. We watch the screen for hours, just waiting. I was starting to doubt the thing was going to show up. Dean yawns, "What time is it?"

I look at my phone, "Three."

"Are you sure these iron rounds are going to work?" Sam asks.

"Consecrated iron rounds, and yeah it's what Dad used last time."Sam looked uncomfortably at me and then spoke to Dean, "Hey Dean I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You know, I've really given you a lot of crap, for always following Dad's orders. But I know why you do it."

Dean signs, rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair, "Oh, god, kill me now. "

Sam chuckles. We all sat there for a moment. On the screen, the branches start looking a little too much like hands. The window lock unhinges of its own accord. I point at the screen and both of the boys look. I check the chamber and magazine on my .45. The boys pick up their guns. The shtriga is entering the room

"Now?" Sam hisses

"Not yet." Dean replies. We all watch the screen. I can feel it in my legs and my back, how tense I am, ready to hunt this SOB. All my senses are on alert and as always, I become acutely aware of all of my surroundings. I watch the shtriga move in closer and begin to draw on Michael's' energy. I bust down the door, the boys behind me. Michael rolls down and under the bed. I empty nine rounds into the bastard and Sam and Dean totally empty their guns. The shtriga falls to the ground.

"Mike, you all right?" Dean calls.

"Yeah."

"Just hold tight," Dean tells him. I scan the room, keeping one eye on the body of the shtriga. Dean motions his gun at the thing and him and I move forward, guns ready. There is no movement. I see Dean relax out of the corner of my eye and look back at Sam. I pull down and sigh.

I catch the movement but it is too late. It grabs Dean by the throat and throws him against the wall. It turns to me, I pull my gun up but it backhands me before I can pull the trigger. I crash into the wall, pictures and objects fall down around me. I look up and the shtriga has Sam who is struggling for his gun. I can see the shtriga drawing his energy out. I keep feeling around for my gun, but it isn't there.

"Hey!" Dean yells, the shtriga looks up and he shoots it between the eyes. It falls and Sam is gasping for breath. Dean uncocks the gun and hands it to me, I am confused until I see that it is mine, "You ok little brother?"

Sam holds a thumbs up. Dean pulls me to my feet,

"Pretty risky shot, seeing as that wasn't your gun." I smirk.

"Ahh, I know what I'm doing most of the time," He smiles back and winks, then goes to help Sam up. The energy that the shtriga stole begins to evacuates its body.

"Jen, you wanna put another in it for good measure?"

"My pleasure." I raise my sights and put my last round into its center mass. More energy escapes and the shtriga disintegrates into a pile.

"It's ok, Michael, you can come on out." Dean says. Michael climbs out from under the bed and stands beside Dean and smiles tentatively. Dean places his hand on his shoulder and smiles back. I exhale. Another one down, a few hundred who-the-hell-knows left to go.

* * *

..

Michael sits in the boys' room with Jen, Dean and Sam for the rest of the night. Jen had figured he wasn't going to sleep, but she passed out on Dean's bed. She had only had a couple hours of sleep since Richardson and wasn't going to pass up the few she could grab. Dean played cards with Michael until the morning. Sam started to pack up all of their crap. The mother's car pulled in right after eight. Michael ran out and talked to her. Dean smacked Jen's shoulder and she looked up at him with one eye, sleepily. He chuckled, "Time to get your lazy ass up."

She moaned at him. As he walked toward the door he grabbed her ankles and jerked her to the bottom of the bed. Jen let out a yelp. Him and Sam busted out laughing, "You asshole."

"You bet" He walked out with his bag to pack the Impala. Jen headed to her room and grabbed her shit. On her way out she heard Dean talking to the mother, "How is Asher doing?"

"We got good news this morning. He s going to be fine."

Michael smiles, "Really?"

"Yeah. Really. No one can explain it - it's a miracle. They're going to keep him in overnight for observation and then he's coming home."

Dean smiles, "That is great."

Jen approaches, "How are the other kids?"

"Good. Real good. A bunch of them should be checking out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward's going to be like a ghost town."

Sam made a face, "Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Heidacker? "

"Oh he wasn't in today. Must have been sick or something."

Dean looked over at me, "Yeah. Yeah must have."

Michael and his mother left to go to see Asher. The three finished packing the Impala and just as they were finishing up Sam spoke, "It's too bad."

Jen looked over, confused, "About what? We killed the monster and saved the kids. I would call that a win."

"That's not what I meant. I meant Michael. He'll always know there are things out there in the dark - he'll never be the same, you know? Sometimes I wish that..."

"What?" Dean asked.

"I wish I could have that kinda innocence."

Dean sighs, and speaks slowly, "If it means anything...Sometimes I wish you could too."

They exchange a look and then Dean breaks it. He climbs in the car and starts the engine. Sam and Jen get in and Dean pulls the car away.

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER...**

In over fifteen days of driving around the Midwest they still hadn't picked up a prospective hunt, New Years passed. And eventually they did what anyone who needed something to do, would do and went out drinking. Jen was at the bar, doing shots with the locals. Dean was hitting shamelessly on a blonde. Sam, of course, was moping on the corner on his laptop, trying to find work. Dean saw him and told the blonde that he would be back in a minute.

"Hey Sammy, you know you can't get laid until you get out from behind that computer, right?"

"So what are you tonight Dean...military, reality star, what?"

"Talent scout. She has this friend, I could hook you up."

"Dean..." Sam trails off.

"What Sam?" Dean says, annoyed.

"I don't know what the hell is going on with Jen but..."

"Whoa, whoa, there is nothing going on with Jen." Dean says defensively. But he sneaks a look over at her and feels the twinge of guilt.

"Whatever man. But in all seriousness, you need to talk to her. She is the only...well...friend that you have. You can't lead her on and then drop her."

"I have lots of friends."

"Really Dean? Name two."

"Uhh..." Dean looks at the ceiling.

"Exactly. You know, you couldn't do much better. At least you wouldn't have to lie to her about what you do."

"Sammy, I am not looking to have a girlfriend. I'm looking to hook up."

Sam just shakes his head, "Whatever. I have never seen you like this. You like her, but you won't do anything about it. She clearly likes you. What the hell is the problem?"

"Sam, with what we do... that isn't fair to either of us. Now is not the time for that."

"I'm tellin' you Dean, you are going to piss her off and you will lose her if you don't tell her that. She is better than most women because any other one after watching you hit on other women would either shoot you or give up. She has stuck around so far."

"Whatever Sam. I am going back to drinking. You can stay here and mope." Dean walked back to the bar and to the blonde. He started doing shots, hard. Trying to forget about what Sam had just said. It didn't matter how much he drank, he still kept looking at the other end of the bar. Hours later Sam waved Jen over.

"What ya got Sam?"

"New York. Family gets murdered."

"Alright, that happens all the time."

"My Dad has the area marked in his journal. At least three or four others in the last hundred years."

"Well if we can drag Dean's ass out of here, let's go!"

Jen walked right up to Dean at the bar, "Come on, we have something."

"I'm good here." He was sloshed, actually, passed sloshed. Flat out walks up behind Jen

"Oh look, killjoy." Dean pointed and almost fell backwards. Sam grabbed him before he fell, "Little help?"

Jen grabbed Dean under the other arm. Together they drug him to the car and stuffed him in the back seat. He mumbled and passed out.

"Does he ever get that drunk?"

"Not usually, he must have something bothering him."


	9. Don't Look Back

**A/N: Thanks again for reading... A few quick comments/ notes. First this chapter is part one of three on a new case, so that's why it is a little shorter than normal. If I would have written this case all in one chapter it would have been around 20,000 words, so I decided to split it up. These chapters will reveal more about Jen's past.**

**Another note concerning the previous chapter. The one new thing that I wanted to establish was that Dean trusts Jen and considers her his equal, she doesn't always need protected like Dean feels that Sam does. So even though it stuck really close to that particular episode, that was really the only new thing that I had wanted to throw in.**

**Read on and enjoy!**

**Revised: 4/20/15**

That night Sam drove through Minnesota, Wisconsin, into Illinois, then Ohio and we were partway through Pennsylvania. I dozed in and out in the front seat, Dean was passed the fuck out in the back seat. Every once in awhile he would let out a moan or start snoring. It was near dawn when I heard him grumble.

"...Wh-What the fuck?"

I turned and looked over the back seat and laughed, "Morning sunshine."

"Where the hell are we?" Dean looked around confused. Sam reached and turned up the radio, Dean looked around, eyes wide, "Turn that shit off."

Sam just cranked the dial further and Dean tried to come over the back seat to turn it off but as he scrambled he fell to the floor. I laughed and Sam took pity on his brother and turned it down a few decibels, "Sam, pull over, now!"

Sam pulled onto the gravel shoulder. Dean fumbled with the door and fell out onto the grass. I could tell he was praying that the earth would stop spinning. I watched him for a few minutes and then I leaned out the window, "Hey Dean, you know what the cure is for a hangover?"

"Don't...stop." He moaned.

"A greasy pork sandwich served up in a dirty ashtray."

Dean started heaving, "Go...to...hell." He managed to get out between vomit. Sam and I laughed. When Dean finally stopped throwing chunks and was just dry-heaving I grabbed a bottle of water and got out and squatted next to him, I put my hand on his shoulder and pushed him upright, "Here you go. Rinse, spit, repeat."

He grabbed the water bottle and looked up at me, "Thanks."

"No problem, you can have shotgun for awhile. At least until you sober up."

"Ah...your funny."

"Damn straight… Come on." I pulled him to his feet and he steadied himself and then climbed into the front of the Impala. Even though it was barely light out he pulled on a pair of sunglasses, "Drive Sammy."

We drove for another hour or so and my phone rang. It was Bobby.

"Hey, what up?"

"_Don't you 'what up' me. You don't drop a call, you don't write, for all I know you could be vampire bait or werewolf chow."_

"You are freaking hilarious. I'm sorry, I promise the next time I am in the area I will stop in."

_"Yeah, yeah, yeah...anyways where are you at?"_

"Western P.A."

Sam looked over his shoulder and I just shook my head. Bobby continued over the phone.

_"Got a case over in Boston..."_

"Ah, my favorite place in the whole wide world."

_"Alright Jen, don't get smart with me.."_

"You know I don't go there any more."

_"Bullshit. I know you went back there to deal with that vengeful spirit and you still have a few contacts back there."_

"How the hell..."

_"You know there isn't anything I don't know about. Anyways five washed up bodies that are destroyed way too much for all the longer they were in the water. The sixth one washed up last night, happened all over the last month. Locals think it is a serial killer but that isn't official. But FBI won't get involved which means there isn't enough evidence to support that..."_

"Which makes this our kind of thing. Alright. You owe me big."

_"I don't owe you shit, you still owe me for that Camaro."_

My eyes rolled back, "I paid up."

_"Whatever."_

"You want to email me those files I know that you have."

"_What am I, tech support?"_

"Please, pretty please. I will help you catch up on cars the next time I am in town."

_"Yeah, yeah I will get this stuff to you. Just be careful and shoot me a call every once in a while so that I know you are still alive."_

"Will do, bye."

I sat there for a moment. "Hey, you guys mind making a detour before we hit up New York."

Dean turned, "Where to?"

"Boston, they have six bodies within a month."

Sam sighed, "But New York has a fresh one."

"I know but those are happening every 25 years or so , these ones are happening a lot quicker."

Dean reached over and shoved his brother's shoulder, "C'mon man. College girls, frat houses and the Irish. Party on."

I sighed, "Trust me, the Irish are a lot more fun, they don't have a stick up their ass."

Sam snorted, "You two want to stop for food?"

* * *

Two hours later they were sitting in a diner. Sam had a fruit something or other in front of him. Jen and Dean both had the waffles with bacon, eggs, and hash browns. Dean had scarfed his down without coming up for air. Jen was picking at hers while she looked over the case files on her laptop. None of them were talking and Dean was getting bored, he reached next to him and slammed Jen's laptop closed, "You're turning into Sam. That research will fry your brain."

She turned to him and gave him a look, he laughed and tried to grab a piece of bacon off her plate. Faster than he could reach she grabbed up her fork and slammed it down between his middle and index finger, "Next time I won't miss."

Dean laughed. Sam looked up from his paper, "Jen, you mind driving the rest of the way? I'm beat."

Dean spoke up, "Hold up a sec Sam, it is my car."

Jen laughed, "How about if you keep that food down you can drive."

Dean nodded confidently, "Alright."

Not five minutes later Dean jumped up and ran for the bathroom, Jen and Sam both bust out laughing, "How did you know he would hurl again?"

"Sam, he drank the whole bar and then a bottle of tequila on top of that. I don't care who you are, tequila is a bad idea. I will go and settle the check." Jen walked up to the counter and ordered three coffees to go and an apple pie from the rack. By the time she turned around Dean was coming out of the bathroom and they headed for the car. They weren't even ten miles down the road and Sam was passed out in the back seat and Dean was going in and out of consciousness. Jen listened to the radio and concentrated on the road in front of her. She kept switching between nervousness, anxiety, and anger at the thought of being in Boston.

* * *

Of all of the freaking places that I would have to go, it had to be mother-fucking-Boston, and now we were only three hours out. Dean stirred and looked around, "Where are we?"

"Three hours outside of Boston."

He smirked, "You got any food, I think I lost mine."

I laughed, "Yeah, there is a pie in the bag."

"Hells yes." He grabbed the pie out of the bag and ate with a fork right out of the pan. A slice or two in he decided that it was a good idea to shove the fork in my face.

"You want any?"

I shook my head and he shoved the piece closer to my face, "You sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Fine I will have some."

I reached for the fork and he pulled it away and ate it, "Too bad you said you didn't want it."

I snorted and he scooped up another bite and shoved it toward me. I reached for the fork and he pulled back, "Um you keep hands at ten and two on Baby."

"Give me the goddamn fork."

"Just take a bite."

"I am not eating from the fork you are holding, give it here.", I reached for it again and once again he shoved it in his mouth, and he smiled like he had won. Ah, young Jedi, you may have won the battle, but I shall win the war. I reached over and barehanded grabbed pie from the pan and ate it. He stared at me, baffled, and then finally started laughing. Dean put the lid on the pie and set it on the floor, "Alright, no more pie for you."

Even though it was juvenile I stuck my tongue out at him. Dean snorted and leaned back in his seat. He dozed until we were in Boston. I drove the Impala to the police station closest to the wharf where the body was found, I figured the body from last night should still be in their morgue. Sam and Dean looked out the windows, Sam finally spoke, "Give us the low down again."

"Okay so as of last night there are six bodies that have washed up on the beach. Locals think serial but apparently the FBI doesn't agree because they keep denying the request to come in and help."

"What makes this a hunt?" Dean asked me.

"Well the bodies were only in the water for a day or two each, but they had weeks worth of damage. And apparently it is just damage, the bodies are still for the most part intact."

"That will do it."

"Yeah, I'm thinking a fairly new spirit or cursed object because in the last hundred or so years this hasn't happened as far as I can tell."

"Okay..." Sam started, "What's the game plan."

"Me and Dean are going to take a look at the body and see what the cops have so far. I want you to go and talk to friends and family, see if there are any connections or weirdness going on."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Sam was pulling away with the Impala and Jen and Dean were dressed in suits. They entered the precinct and approached a deputy behind the front desk, he looked up as they approached, "What can I do for you two."

Jen pulled out her badge, "Special Agents Kent and Wayne. We are here about the bodies that have been washing up on the beaches."

The guys looked between them real quick, "I thought the FBI didn't want anything to do with this."

"We changed our minds. Had some extra agents running around that needed something to do." Jen replied. The guy looked scared, Jen and Dean looked between each other, something was wrong, Shakily the deputy spoke, "Wait here, let me get the LT."

He scurried back through the door and Jen and Dean watched him run back to a corner office. When he entered and began talking they saw a binder get tossed at the deputy's head.

"Shit" Dean said and Jen nodded.

"On a scale of one to ten, how well do you think this is going to go Jen?"

They saw a short, stocky man come storming out of the office and head toward the front, "I'm hoping for about a two but I'm pretty sure this is going to be in the negatives."

"I don't give a shit who you are , what are you doing in my precinct?" The man yelled at them without even introducing himself. Jen spoke firmly, holding her ground, "We are here about the bodies washing up on the beach."

"The FBI has been denying my requests for weeks, what changed?"

Dean stepped next to Jen, "The office had a few extra people on hand the next week or so, so they sent us out to clean up some smaller cases."

Jen dug out a business card and handed it to the man, "You can call our supervisor if you want, but we are here to help. If you don't want it we can leave."

The man grumbled for a few seconds, "Fine. I am Lieutenant McDowd. You can follow me down to the morgue to see the latest body."

He took off toward a stairwell, Jen and Dean walked behind him. Once they were down in the morgue, the LT turned to them, "The corner is off today but here is the file, let me know if you need anything."

Dean nodded, "Will do."

The LT took off, and they exchanged a look. Jen laughed, "Hot headed little shit, wasn't he?"

Dean just shook his head and looked at the file. Jen walked over to the wall and found the drawer that contained the latest body, "Dean. Over here."

He walked up beside her, "Ladies first."

She shook her head, "You know, one day I am actually going to pull the muscles that control eye rolling."

Jen grabbed the handle and pulled the slab out. Dean made a face, "Yuck."

The air filled with the smell of seawater and something else that Jen wasn't able to quite place. She began to examine the body while Dean kept looking at the file, "According to these the corner doesn't know the exact cause of death because the decay of the body. But the guy was only missing for two days."

"I would go with blunt force or asphyxiation… Hey Dean look at this." She pointed at all the bites along the man's arms and chest.

"So?"

"So, animals eat, they don't just use you as a chew toy. And usually one or two animals will eat on you. I count at least twelve different bite patterns. And look at this one here.."

She pointed to his collarbone, "...I'm pretty sure that is a shark bite."

"Really?"

She nodded side to side, "Yeah, if I had to take a SWAG, I would go with shark."

"SWAG?"

"Silly wild ass guess." Jen replied. Dean chuckled. "Alright, let's go grab some dinner and wait for Sam."

"Hold on a second." Right near the shark bite was a weird mark that looked like a burn. Jen took out her phone and snapped a picture of it. Dean headed for the door but Jen went to the corner's desk and grabbed any file she could find on the six bodies. Dean turned to see what she was doing and she held up the files. When Jen found all she could they raced up the stairs. When they reached the top , they peaked around the corner. The LT was yelling and jumping around at an officer. Jen and Dean exchanged a look. They bolted for the side door before the LT could question them.

Once on the street, they walked side by side in the cool air. Jen looked up at the sky, "There is a nasty storm coming."

"Yeah well let's worry about the food first and then we can worry about the shitty winter weather."

He held the door open for her at a diner a few blocks from the precinct . They sat down ordered. Both got double cheeseburgers, Jen got a coffee and Dean got a coke. They ate in silence for awhile, finally Dean spoke, "So you know we have been driving around with each other for almost two months now, you know everything about me and Sam. What about you? Who is Jennifer Wesson?"

Jen shrugged her shoulders, "There isn't much to tell. I'm an Aquarius, I like cheeseburgers, and I love to drink."

"That's not what I meant. Why did you leave home? What did you do before all this shit?"

"Jeez buy a girl a drink first"

Dean just stared at her, Jen sighed, "Fine, I had a pretty normal life. Grew up on a Midwest farm, good family, good at school. Had it all, graduated early, went Ivy League..."

"Ivy League?"

"Do you want to know about me or not?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders, "Nerd. My bad. Continue."

"Well I left and never went back."

Dean snapped his fingers, "Just like that?"

Jen nodded, "Just like that."

"You know I think there is more to it than that. You wouldn't just leave."

"You don't know me."

"I know you are loyal and you freakin' love your family. You wouldn't just up and leave."

"The job followed me home. I wasn't going to put them in that much danger. So I went to college and hunted what I could. Then I called them and said I was leaving, and not to try to find me."

"You don't think they worry about you?"

"I'm the fucking disappointment of the century, dropping out like that. Jesus, if they found out about the credit card scams and the cheap ass motels, they would shit a brick. I send them a postcard now and again to let them know I am alive."

He paused for a moment, letting it sink in, "So your nerdy ass went Ivy League?"

Jen gave a small smile, "Full scholarship."

"Where?"

"Don't want to talk about it." Jen looked away and sipped on her coffee. Dean got an idea, "Well if you don't want to talk about that...why don't we talk about the way you are always staring at my ass?"

He expected a slammed cup, something, but Jen calmly set her cup down, crossed her arms and leaned forward, "Only if we can talk about the way you are always staring at my boobs."

Dean tried to keep a straight face but he bust out laughing, Jen cracked a smile, "Seriously, Jen let's talk?"

"Well it is a nice ass."

"You know that's not what I meant."

She scrunched her face and sighed, "Yeah...I know."

Then Jen's phone went off, it was Sam, "Hey Sam, what's up?"

_"I just got done with the family and I am on my way to get you guys. Where you guys at?"_

"A diner a few blocks from the precinct." Jen thought for a moment, screw it, "Hey Sam? You haven't gotten a hotel yet, have you?"

_"No, why?"_

"I know a place that we can crash for free."

_"Okay, I will be there in five."_

Dean looked at her, Jen shrugged, "I will explain later."

She got up and settled the check, Dean followed her outside where Sam pulled up a few minutes later. Jen climbed in the backseat and instructed Sam, "Head north a few blocks and then hit the highway toward Cambridge."

"Cambridge?" Dean looked back at her.

"Don't worry guys, it is in the bad part of town." She guided them to a street where the houses were smaller than the ones that they had passed on the way into Cambridge. Finally they got to a block that had a bunch of small apartments.

"Pull over here."

Sam parked the Impala on the street. They hopped out and Jen grabbed her stuff. They expected her to walk to the apartments but she headed to a house across the street that was definitely nicer than the other ones in the neighborhood. It was fixed up, fence freshly painted, the brick was in good order. She turned and walked backwards, "You guys coming?"

They grabbed their bags and followed her to a gate to the fenced backyard. She jimmied the lock and walked through towards the back steps, "Lock the gate behind you and don't step on the third step if you want to keep your leg."

Dean locked the gate, "I might regret this, but what is under there?"

"Bear trap."

Dean snorted, "Well the owner is a little paranoid, don't you think?"

Jen put a key in the lock, turned it and punched the code into the keypad. 1207200405132010. The door turned easily, singing inward, "Yeah, I know I am a little paranoid."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look and scurried in the house after her. Jen tossed her bag on the floor and pulled out her phone. Dean and Sam stood in the doorway, staring at her, hearing her side of the conversation, "Hey Ben? It is me...yeah I am going to be at the house for a week or so...Okay, I will let you know when I leave."

Dean spoke, "Uh, Jen? What did you mean 'your house'?"

"Well not mine exactly. Ben owns it and I have a lifelong rent on it."

Dean waited and when she didn't keep talking he spoke again, "We are gonna need a little more here Jen?"

"Alright Dean. You wanted to know about my past? Here it is. At seventeen I went to MIT for a year and then transferred over to Harvard. I worked for Ben as a super for all his rental properties. In exchange for that he let me stay in the house and I brought in a paycheck."

Jen walked around and checked some stuff, flipping on lights as she went. After a few moments she continued, "I went to Harvard until halfway through last year, after first semester. I worked hunts when I could, and well there was a poltergeist in town. In Ben and his family's home. Well after I got rid of it he told me I could keep the house free of charge. Early this spring one of his rental properties had a spirit mishap and I took care of that too."

"Hold up, " Sam said, only surprised by one part of that story, "You not only went to MIT, you went to Harvard too?"

"Yeah." Jen stood up straighter, feigning offense, "Does that surprise you?"

"Well kinda..."

Jen disappeared upstairs and changed into a racerback tank and sweats. Dean wandered around looking at books stacked up on every table and papers on any open space they could lay out. Jen walked up behind him, "Yeah I researched a lot of shit."

"No kidding." Dean said.

"Well there is an extra bed upstairs. I used the room for storage, so there is a lot of shit laying around but there are extra blankets in the cupboard. The other can either have my bed or the couch. I don't mind either way."

Sam spoke up, "I will take the couch."

"Ok," Jen replied. "Here Dean, I can show you where that other room is. Oh there is a toilet down here, a shower in the basement and a full bathroom upstairs... Sorry for the mess."

Dean followed her upstairs to the small landing, she opened one of the doors. Inside was a single

bed and boxes piled up in the corner, "No offense Jen, but you aren't exactly Susie homemaker."

"I left in a hurry and I haven't been here for almost a year Dean." He looked behind himself at her, she looked thoughtful, and if he had to put a label on it right now he would say that she was upset. Abruptly , she turned on her heel and left, without saying a word. Dean was confused and followed behind her. She went to the far door on the landing and went inside, leaving the door open. He walked in, and what was before him, totally floored him.

The room was dirty from time but it was decorated immaculately and had a woodsy feel to it. The walls were painted a sage green, across from the bed was a TV. Above the TV were three European buck mounts, the largest in the center. There was a hand-made desk in the corner, which Dean walked over to. On it were pictures of a younger Jen surrounded by people smiling, her on a farm, horseback riding, normal hunting. Pictures of her family, "Why didn't you tell us about this place?"

She spoke quietly, "I didn't want to come back."

"Why? You are a fucking genius, you had a life."

Jen shrugged, "It isn't for me, I'm not fit to be around normal people. I'm never going to just be able to have a life. I'm good at what I do, I'm great at the job."

Dean just shook his head and looked over at her. She was embarrassed and would not meet his eye. He turned around and looked around some more, opening a closet on the wall opposite the door. On one half, guns and weapons were meticulously racked, and the other half clothes were just as meticulously hung. Dean smirked. Jen watched him for a few moments but then went and sat on the bed and flipped on the TV. There was a station playing old shows, _Mr. Ed_ was on.

Dean continued to rummage through her stuff without messing it up too much. He was curious, because other than smartass remarks and her extensive knowledge of monsters, Jen didn't talk too much. She definitely never talked about herself. When there was nothing else to look at he glanced over at Jen.

"You done going through my life yet?"

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch. I just would like to know who I am working with." Dean didn't ask to join her, he just kicked off his shoes and sat next to her on the head of the bed. She stiffened for a second and then relaxed. He knew he had an effect on her, but he wished that it wasn't always such an adverse reaction. They watched _Mr. Ed_ for awhile. Jen smiled and laughed as did Dean, he could see her slowly relax and eventually she was leaning back on the pillows.

* * *

Even though I flipped on the TV for some noise, I watched Dean go through all my shit slowly. When I was here I loved this room, other than the gun collection, I never let me bring my job in here. It was my escape. He went through my cupboard but luckily didn't open up any drawers on my dresser. Even though I was okay with him rummaging through my clothes and pictures, I wasn't comfortable enough with Dean to watch him go through my underwear. I watched him study every picture on my desk. Finally, when there was nothing left for him to go through he turned to me.

"You done going through my life yet?" I asked him.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch. I just would like to know who I am working with." He flippantly replied. I exhaled and faced the TV again, I sat cross-legged near the top of my bed. I had to admit, of all the older TV shows, _Mr. Ed_ was definitely on the top of my list. Without even asking, Dean plopped down on the bed next to me. My muscles tightened. I don't know, sometimes I was okay with him in my space, other times like it was with other guys, he made me nervous and jumpy. This was a case of the later, I couldn't help it.

After an episode or two I resigned myself to the fact that he was going to be there for awhile, I leaned back and was finally able to relax. A few minutes later I had to move though, I got up and went downstairs. Sam was already snoozing on the couch, the TV was on and his laptop was open in front of him. He had been researching possibilities for what we were hunting. I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and returned upstairs. I handed one to Dean.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem." I resumed my previous spot. Minutes passed and the beers were gone. _Hogans Heros_ came on next, another awesome freaking show. As I was watching Clink making an idiot of himself I felt Dean lay down on the bed, he rested halfway propped up on my pillows. I sat back up. When the commercial break came I felt a hand on my forearm. I closed my eyes, and I felt every muscle in my body stiffen again. I could tell he felt it too because his grip loosened, but he left his hand there. After a moment he pulled on my arm, pulling me downward. When I would not oblige , he sat up and pulled himself behind me, putting his arms under mine and around my stomach and resting his forehead on my left shoulder. I stopped breathing, I was unable to stop myself from cringing away. He gently held me in place. I felt him exhale and he began to speak softly, "Someone really fucked you up didn't they?"

If only he knew how fucked up I really was with this. I refused to speak, I couldn't relax, I kept trying to breathe, but was unable to. I was fucking terrified, and the worst part was I knew Dean had never given me a reason to be terrified of him. But my heart kept racing. Dean was stuck breaking the silence again, "That's why you didn't want to come back to Boston. He is still here."

Dean wasn't asking me, he knew. I was finally able to open my eyes again and I swallowed, "Jen, you need to breathe."

I shakily inhaled and exhaled. I could feel him smile, tentatively. We sat there like that. I knew he was waiting for me to stop panicking, but I knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He lifted his head and I felt his lips on the back of my shoulder. Dean removed his arms and stood up. Walked around to face me and sat back down, "You don't want to talk about it and that's fine, okay? But you need to listen to me..."

I was finally able to look up and meet his face, he smiled that freaking flirty ass smile that only he could do, and then he continued, "You need to trust someone, you can't live like this. And shit, I like you, a lot. And this is crossing the line on chick flick moment but you're lying if you say you don't like me too."

I just looked away, I did like him, and maybe it was more than that but I couldn't be what he needed or wanted. I knew he was waiting for me to respond but I couldn't, "I will take that as a yes. Jen, give it a chance."

He scooted closer when I refused to look up, and he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him, "I promise I won't hurt you like that, and I won't ever force you to do something you don't want to. Okay?"

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded, he smiled back, "I mean I would be lying if I said I didn't want to. Honestly your sexy as hell because of how different you are. You don't take shit, you are funny, you are smokin', but nothing you aren't comfortable with."

"Well at least you didn't throw me a line."

"It was meant as a compliment." I didn't know what to tell him, he was waiting on me again. I nodded the best I could with his hand still on my chin. He smiled, a lot softer this time. He pulled my face closer and kissed me like he did that night in Hibbing. Except this time it wasn't as urgent and he waited for me to respond before pushing harder against my lips. Encouraging me to keep going. When he pulled away I couldn't breathe again, but this time it was from the freaking head rush.

He moved and returned to where he had been laying before, and this time when he went to pull me down, I obliged, tense but not nearly as terrified as I was before. He guided me so that I was lying beside him. I tentatively laid my head in on the corner of his chest, below his collarbone. He didn't move, allowing me to be the one making the decision. My body was pressed along his warm side. His right arm was wrapped around behind me and his left hand laid on top of mine on his chest. I closed my eyes and listened to his breathing, I could feel him watching me and I smiled into his chest. Dean felt it and chuckled. It wasn't long before the world turned to nothingness and I fell asleep.


	10. I Think I Like It

**A/N: Revised 4/20/15**

I stirred from sleep, fuzzy and I let out a groan. I peaked with one eye at the window, there was no sun yet. I nuzzled back next to Dean's warm side. He smells like leather and gunpowder. I look up at his face, still sleepy and I see that he is looking back at me. He reaches up with one hand and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand,

"Morning," he grumbles. I groan again and put my head on his chest, trying to get five more minutes of sleep. I hear him chuckle. His arm tightened around me and pulled me closer. He put his lips on my hair and then spoke quietly, "You have to get up sometime."

I shook my head. He rolled so that I was on my back and he was propped on his elbow next to me, "It's five, and unless you want to explain this to Sam, one of us is going to have to get up."

I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, annoyed. Dean chuckled again. Then he grew quiet and his eyes searched my face. He put his hand on my face and traced my lips with his thumb.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." he bent and kissed me, slowly and then pulled away. He smiled that freaking smile.

"Dean, what is it?"

"Its stupid..." He hesitated, "...I've never woken up with a woman that I haven't..."

"Had sex with." I finished, and honestly I had figured that was probably true. He cringed and looked embarrassed. I tried to hold it in, but then I snorted and laughed.

"Well I am glad that you think it is funny." Dean said.

"I'm just happy that you have shit to work on too."

"Well at least we know we are both a little fucked up." I laughed again, he leaned in and kissed me again to shush me. Then he rolled out of the bed and walked out the door. And that was my first morning waking up next to Dean Winchester.

I laid in bed for a good ten minutes before I decided it was safe to roll on out. I threw on faded jeans and just slipped a plaid shirt over my tank. I had to keep myself from smiling like an idiot as I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Sam's back was to me and he was looking at the case file. Dean looked up from the ones he was reading and I saw his lips twitch. I smiled internally. I was getting coffee from the pot when my FBI phone went off.

"This is Agent Kent."

"_This is Lieutenant McDowd."_

"What can I do for you?"

_"For starters your fucking job..."_

"Listen, we are here to help you out, if you are going to act like this we have other, legitimate, cases that need our attention." I hoped he bought my bluff.

_"Well we just had another body wash up in the harbor."_

"Okay, we will be there as soon as we can, other than the ME, don't let anyone near the body."

I hung up, "Time to go boys."

* * *

An hour commute later they rolled up on the crime scene. It was situated on the beach and they could see the yellow tape marking off the body. It was about a half mile trek up the sandy shore. They were all dressed in suits.

"I hate these freaking monkey suits." Dean complained.

"Quit your bitchin', you don't have to wear heels in the sand." Jen replied. They saw McDowd jumping around at people and his voice was carrying against the wind to where they were. Sam, Dean and Jen headed over to where he was. As Jen had predicted, the sand was a bitch for her in heels, and she was struggling to look composed. Sam was booking it over to the LT who gave him the third degree because they hadn't met. Sam worked the puppy dog eyes and the charm, which actually worked. Jen and Dean headed straight for the body. Dean trailed behind Jen and when her heel rolled for the third time he whispered jokingly, "You know...I could carry you the rest of the way."

Jen backhanded him in the stomach, "Ugh, that actually hurt." Dean complained.

Jen just smiled and got over to the body. It was almost exactly like the other body, torn but not destroyed. Jen looked at all the different marks. They weren't exactly like the one on the other bodies, well until she got to the guy's leg. There was the same burn that had been on the collar bone of the last guy. Jen pulled out her phone and took a picture. There were crabs crawling all over the place. Dean nudged Jen,

"Hey, those are some killer crabs." He smiled like a goof.

Jen smirked but never took her eyes off that mark, "Hey Dean."

"Yeah," He turned and squatted down next to where she was.

"Right here, " She pointed to the mark, "It was on the other guy, and I am sure if we looked it would be on all the other ones."

"You think the spirit is leaving it?"

Jen thought for a moment. The mark was three lines that curved into a center. She knew she had seen it before,

"Dean, it isn't a spirit. We need to go now." She glanced around nervously, "Right fucking now."

Leaving him confused, she rushed up the beach, passing Sam who was on his way down,

"Jen? " She didn't answer and kept walking. Dean and Sam jogged after her to the Impala.

"Jen!" Dean yelled. They finally caught up to her at the car where she was pacing quickly, mumbling to herself.

"What is going on?" Sam asked

"Its not a spirit." Jen said and kept pacing, thinking. Dean shook his head, "Why don't you break it down for the non-telepathic here."

"We need to get back to the house." They stood there and looked at her.

"Now!" She yelled and they scrambled into the car. Dean drove a fast as he could through the rush hour traffic back to Cambridge.

* * *

I walked up the stairs and didn't even bother looking to see if Sam and Dean were following me. I knew I had seen that freaking symbol before, I just wasn't sure where. I rushed into the house and didn't close the door behind me. I just started to go through book after book, tossing some to the side and stacking others. African? No. Asia? No. Latin? No? Greek? No. No. No. Finally I came cross an old book that was falling apart at the binding. Yes. I turned quickly and ran straight into Dean, who I hadn't even noticed. Sam was standing next to him. Dean grabbed my shoulders, "Snap out of it now, Jen. What the hell is going on?"

I shook my head, "What do you mean?"

"We have been standing here for half an hour trying to get you to say something. Now what the hell is up your ass?"

I shook his hands off my shoulders and held up the book. "The symbol. That symbol, is North-Western European. The Gaelics, Celts, Gauls, above Hadrian's Wall during the Roman Rule. It is really freaking old school. Like six, seven hundred years before Christ, old school."

They both stood there staring at me, "Guys, this is some deep shit we got ourselves into."

Sam scratched his head, "Why? We have dealt with stuff older than that before."

I thought for a moment, "Sam, it is probably a god. It isn't just a monster, gods have powers, require sacrifice and are incredibly hard to kill."

Dean laughed uncomfortably, "You mean there is an ancient god running around Boston?"

I nodded, "The only question is which one?"

I tossed the book I was holding to Sam, "Look through this and see if you can find anything. It is in an old dialect, so just try to find a picture that matches that burn from number six."

I kept rummaging through books and papers. Dean stood helplessly behind my, not knowing how to help me. A few minutes later I found a stack of research I had written about tribes above the wall during the Roman rule. I turned and handed it to him, "Look for anything that references gods, goddesses, anything that could be this."

"Okay." He looked at me, worried. I just shook my head. I knew someone we could go to, but that was going to be a last resort. I continued to sort through books, looking for anything. A few hours passed, nothing. There were a few false alarms. The symbol was referenced but never in the aspect of a god.

"Here!" Sam exclaimed. I rushed over and read over his shoulder. Even though I knew ancient languages, this was freaking old. I could only make out a few words here and there.

"This could be something," I pointed about three quarters of the way down the page, "it sounds like a ritual but I can't pinpoint what sect it would belong to."

"Fucking fantastic." Dean said, he was frustrated, "So we have squat."

Just suck it up I told myself. You can do it, especially with the boys here. I stood there staring at nothing.

"We might not be totally screwed..." I spoke slowly, "Give me the keys."

* * *

I was parked outside of the history and anthropology building at Harvard. I had left Sam and Dean to keep looking at the other papers and books. I got out of the car and climbed the familiar stairs in the hall. I knew that the particular person I was looking at would be here. I turned a corner and knocked on the office door.

"Come in." He looked up, "Holy crap! Wesson?"

"Dr. Traker. " I said with a smile.

"I thought you were gone. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to see you, you were definatly the best student that has ever come through this department. Your paper on tribes above Hadrian's wall was exquisite and your research on the Greeks, then the Native American tribes..." He trailed off. Dr. Traker had been my advisor at Harvard and I had taken almost all of his classes, he had even let me sit in on a few of his graduate courses. He was a man in his late sixties who was quirky, but his classes were always awesome. He kinda reminded me of Dumbledore. The guy knew everything about European history.

"Professor, I am working on this one project and I came across this symbol, " I held up the book to the page where it was. He took it and studied it. "...I can't figure out if it is Celt or Gaelic and my research partner and I have a little bet going. I was hoping you could settle it."

"Of course I can...hmmm...The symbol is a Triskelion. Cultures later took it to mean Alpha, Beta, and Omega. But in this particular case it is Celtic. It is the symbol for the god Manannan Mac Lir. He is their sea god."

I nodded, I vaguely remember skimming over that name at some point. Dr. Traker kept reading. He finally looked up over his glasses, "I'm not going to ask where you found this book, because you have brought in some strange ones, but this book is old. Old old. This particular page is a ritual to summon and bind Manannan Mac Lir."

"Thank you Professor."

He handed me back the book, "You're welcome."

I hesitated, "I know this might sound a little weird but did the Celts have a way to protect themselves from their gods?"

"Not really. They appeased them through sacrifice much like the Greeks."

I turned to leave and he spoke again, "You know it was a shame you left. You really are a good student."

"Like I told the school when I left, family issues."

"Yeah and I'm Odin."

I smiled at him, "Thank you again, sir."

"As always, you are welcome."

I closed the professor's door behind me. And walked quickly down the hall, texting Sam the name of the god, hopefully he will be able to come up with something before I get back. I rushed down two flights of stairs and turned the corner to another hall and ran headlong into the person coming from the other direction.

"Sorry," I said quickly and then looked at the face, fuck, my stomach dropped.

"Jennifer," his voice cooed, "long time, no see."

"Ethan." I said flatly and tried to walk past him, feeling like vomiting. He moved in front of me. Ethan was a big guy, football player, well not anymore. Now he would just be a grad student.

"Jennifer, I thought you left. You know how you disappeared after that night at the bar." He reached out to grab my loose hair. I smacked his hand away, but his other hand grabbed my wrist.

"What happened to you?" He asked and I tried to pull my arm away, he slammed me into the wall. Looking down at me with that evil fucking smirk. I pushed against him, "Ethan, that is enough."

He lowered his mouth near my ear, "I don't ever remember you saying that before."

"Well I am not an eighteen year old girl anymore."

He looked down my shirt, "You never where."

I slammed my head into his nose, "AHH," he moaned. I sprinted for the door. I could hear him behind me, tiles echoing his footsteps. At this time on a Friday, no one was here. I still had five floors to get down, I ducked into a stairwell, racing down the stairs, I could hear him jumping down the stairs, a landing at a time. I was heading from the second floor to ground when I was tackled to the ground, rolling down the remaining steps, his body slammed on top of mine at the bottom of the landing. It knocked the wind out of me and I was gasping for breath. He flipped me over and sat on my chest. He just stared at me, smiling, he thought he had freaking won.

"You little bitch. I'm with you for over a fucking year and you never put out. That asshole jumps me from behind and you spread your legs the next night. You are such a fucking shit."

I went to punch him and he pinned my arm with his hand on the floor. It was hard to breath with 250 pounds on my continued talking, stroking my hair, "You know, I actually missed you."

Freaking psychopath. I struggled, hard. I was able to rip a hand free and throw a punch into his ribs. He shifted enough I was able to pull my leg up and grab the knife from my boot. I swung and stabbed him high in the arm. He grunted and I scrambled to my feet and continued down the stair and out the door. Once in the car I slammed the key into the ignition. The fucking thing wouldn't start. I looked up and saw him coming out of the doors at the top of the stairs.

"Fuck, please start." I begged. I tried two more times before it caught and I was able to speed off. I was surprised I wasn't pulled over as my foot never left the floor through Cambridge. I never stopped at a sign or waited for a light. Finally I was in front of the house. I shut off the engine and I couldn't move, I just sat there and shook uncontrollably.

* * *

Dean and Sam heard the car screech around the corner and brake hard, "What the hell is she doing to my car!"

Dean rushed and looked out the window as the engine cut. He expected her to come running up to the house, but she was just sitting there, staring out the windshield, "Hey Sammy, you wanna keep researching? I...uh...I will be back in a minute or two."

When he turned to get an answer but Sam just waved him off. He was looking up page after page online about this god that Jen had texted them a while ago. Some water god or something like that. Dean rushed out the back, jumping the step third from the bottom and walked over to the car. Jen was still staring forward and as he approached, Dean could tell she was shaking. Not nervously, like last night, but a full out panic attack. Dean reached for the driver's door handle. The second Jen heard the click she drew her gun and pointed it out the window.

"WHOA," Dean put his hands up and jumped back. Jen watched him for a moment, she looked like a wild, wounded animal that was cornered.

"Jen, it is just me...It's okay. You need to put the gun down." As much as she had been shaking, her hands didn't waver now, the gun had never moved from the head shot. Dean watched as she registered that she was fine and returned the safety and lowered the gun. Jen leaned back in the seat staring at the roof, breathing heavily. He grabbed the door handle again and pushed Jen over so he could sit down. As soon as he touched her, he regretted it immediately because she jumped across the bench seat and got as close to the door as she could. Dean watched, she wouldn't meet his eyes. He thought for a moment and flipped open his phone.

"Hey Sam, me and Jen are going to go and take a look down by the water where the bodies were found, see if anything turns up."

"_Okay, I will call you if I find anything. This god doesn't have very much useful information."_

Dean hung up the phone, started the engine, and drove off slowly. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Jen stay pressed against the door, eyes blankly staring. He drove into Boston and found a warehouse parking lot that was totally deserted. They sat in silence for awhile, Dean looked her over the best he could. He didn't see any bruises or cuts.

"Jen?" He spoke softly, "Are you alright?"

She didn't respond, her mind was in full fight or flight mode and she couldn't turn it off. Dean waited until it was unbearable for him to not do anything.

"Jesus, just don't shoot me." He muttered under his breath and reached over. For the first time she responded, her head flew up and she watched his hand, warily. But she didn't pull away. Jen was trying to calm down, she knew Dean wouldn't hurt her but it was hard to convince herself that she was fine now. He finally placed his hand on her thigh. The shaking stopped but he could feel her muscles coil. He knew he was definitely right about someone messing her up before, but he didn't know how to help her. When she didn't draw on him he moved toward the center of the seat, waiting to gauge how she would react.

When Jen didn't try to jump out the window, Dean moved his hand to under her arm and pulled her towards him. At first she resisted, but then let him. Jen sat against his side, legs tucked underneath her. Dean put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side, she laid her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a long time. Jen finally spoke quietly, "I will be okay."

Dean looked down at her face and saw that she was chewing on the inside of her cheek. She wanted to talk but didn't want him to know how weak she could be, it was embarrassing and she had been so stupid.

"Dean..." Jen started, she never looked up, just started forward at the buildings, he had a right to know what he was getting himself into she told herself , "I was a stupid teenager, I wasn't always so freaking skittish, and I wish I could turn it off. Sometimes I can, I don't know if I will ever be able to all the way."

She swallowed, Dean squeezed her tighter and spoke, "I told you we can work on it. We were all stupid teenagers, if I had a nickel..."

"Not like partying and shit like that Dean, though I have done my fair share...When I was at MIT I studied stuff that would help me with chemicals, building stuff and everything else like that. I came over to Harvard to learn more about lore and history. See if I could get a jump on some of this shit."

She paused and looked up at Dean's face, he was watching her and waiting patiently, "Well in my first history class there was this T.A., freaking had it all, captain of the football team, good looking, freaking everything, girls crawling all over him all the time. But the only person he paid any attention to was me. I wasn't popular in high school, guys never gave me a second look, I wouldn't count any of the stuff at MIT because they were all too scared to even talk to me. And I fell for it."

Dean saw the pieces falling into place. Jen had been young, well younger, and vulnerable for attention. He wanted to tell her that was nothing to be embarrassed about, that it happened to everyone, but he kept his mouth shut because she was finally talking, "He was great for a while, polite, total gentlemen. But then I was around him when he would drink. He would just get flat out mean. And I told myself it was just the booze. Well he got ejected from the team because he showed up drunk one day. He blamed me because I didn't go out with him that night and cut him off. He got pissier all the time, drank more...he never hit me but would shove me around, grope me in public and get a little rough... And I stayed because I thought 'how can I do any better'. Then he got mad because I wouldn't put out. I was barely freaking legal and he kept pushing me..."

She trailed off and pulled her knees in front of her and set her chin on them, thinking, hating herself for ever letting it get to that. Dean was hoping what was going through his head never happened to her, he moved his hand up and down her back, "Jen, what happened?"

"He would always go until I said enough, and then push it a little farther, seeing what I would do. And I let it happen, I mean hell, I'm a hunter, I could have taken care of the problem right there but I never did. I thought maybe it was my fault. When I would disappear for a week at a time it got a lot worse. But then he would be so freaking nice and charming, act like he was sorry. Then one night we were at this sleazy ass college bar. I went to the bathroom and when I came back out I got another drink from the bartender. I didn't know that he was friends with Ethan and he put some shit in my drink. I got sick and ran to the ally, Ethan didn't follow me right away but came out a little later and wouldn't stop, no matter what I said and begged and tried to do. I couldn't stop him. But before he got too far some guy I didn't even know came up and beat his ass, helped me home, and I never saw him again. I left Harvard the next Monday and never looked back..."

She paused, "I'm not going to hold you to what you said last night Dean. I am always going to be fucked up at this kind of stuff, I don't know if it is ever going to change."

It all made sense to Dean now. The only relationship Jen had ever had was, though not that simple, abusive and one sided. Though she was a hard ass and put up a good front, she was a people pleaser and hadn't known any better. He pulled her upright so that she was facing him, "Jen, I'm not going to dump you on the curb because you had something shitty happen to you. I have a past, but it is in the past. I mean you are going to have to deal with the fact that I just can't turn the flirt off so..."

She chuckled. He smiled back at her and pulled her into a hug, after a moment she buried her face into the side of his neck. Dean couldn't help but smile and he turned his face to kiss the side of her neck. He broke it first, they sat there nose to nose for a moment and then it dawned on him why she had been so upset, "You ran into him, didn't you?"

The embarrassment and shame creped back into her face, "When I was leaving an office he attacked me."

Dean's jaw clenched, "That son of a bitch"

"If it makes you feel any better I stabbed him."

Dean looked at the small smile that played on her lips, it was a small victory but a victory none the less and he busted out laughing, "You stabbed him?"

"He tackled me and I stabbed him in the arm." Jen looked proud of herself, Dean laughed again. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her lips to his and kissed her lightly. Then turned the keys in the ignition and sped off.

* * *

Dean was quiet as we drove. I could tell he was thinking through everything, and I just didn't want him to pity me, I just needed someone to know and if he really meant what he said last night, he had to know. After awhile I realized he wasn't heading back to the house, "Where are we going?"

"I told Sam we were going to check out the beaches, so we are going to check out the beaches and see what we can find."

I nodded and looked out the window at the passing buildings. Finally when we were at the beach

I stepped out of the car and smelt the salty air.

"So you really think this is a god?" Dean was leaning on the roof of the car.

"It would make sense, but I don't think he is doing it on his own. See, gods don't care about people as long as they get their sacrifice and they don't have to do anything. They are kinda like regular guys and chase tail all the time. The professor that I talked to said that that particular mark could be a binding ritual."

"Someone is controlling it."

I nodded, "So we have to find that person to stop the god or we could kill the god."

"How do you do that?"

"Well the professor didn't say there was anything in the lore, but there is this tale with other religions and I have a hunch that it might work."

Dean scoffed, "A hunch? Well I'm glad I am risking my neck on a hunch."

I rolled my eyes, " There is this legend that if you use a god's weapon against them it can kill them, or at least put them in a coma for a few thousand years when someone releases them. At least it can work for the Greeks, I guess we will find out about the Celts."

"Great. So we have to track down this god and find his weapon. What the hell does he look like?"

I went and leaned against the car next to Dean. "Well if I remember correctly this guy, Manannan Mac Lir, he likes to appear as a normal dude. He likes one of three disguises: the sage, the ladies man or the gatekeeper. Considering this is the twenty first century I would guess one of the first two would be most likely."

"Well that shouldn't be hard to find in a city this big." Dean said sarcastically.

"We should be able to narrow it down though. I mean he is going to want to stay near the water and will probably have to be close to the person binding him. And something this powerful has got to leave a trail."

Dean nodded, "We just have to find out where that trail is."

I looked up at him, "Well here is the thing, he is a guy, and he hasn't been summoned in probably a thousand years. Where would he go on a Friday night?" I winked.

"To find some chicks. I knew there was a reason I was keeping you around. " He playfully punched me in the shoulder, "Jen, you're a genius."

"Yeah, I know."

Dean shook his head, and then stared off and thought for a second, "But why these people? Everything supernatural that we have ever run into has a pattern that they have to follow or a reason that they are doing it."

I wasn't sure either but, "Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with the god, maybe the person binding it is the common denominator. Like he goes, marks the person and then Manannan Mac Lir takes them as his sacrifice."

Dean's phone rang and I could only hear the one side of the conversation, "Sam...yeah...well Jen was thinking maybe he might be bound to someone...picking up chicks...Really? You sure?...We are on our way."

Dean hung up the phone then bent down and kissed me, pushing my back up against his car. It took me a second to get my head wrapped around what just happened and by the time I responded he pulled back, "Like I said, you are a freaking genius."

"Hold on. Why am I a genius?"

"Get in the car. We need to go meet Sam."

* * *

Dean got us into the business district of Boston in no time, he was busy swerving around traffic so I didn't ask what was going on. Eventually he parked in front of a diner and got out. I followed him in, Sam was already sitting at a table.

"Sam, how the hell did you get here?" I asked.

"Jacked a car a few blocks from the house. Anyways, sit, I got you two coffees already."

I scooted all the way into the booth and Dean sat next to me. Suddenly, I was aware of the fact that Sam had no idea about what had happened between me and Dean over the last twenty-four hours. I made sure there was a significant amount of space between Dean and me.

"So like I told Dean over the phone, there is a connection between the victims. They were all involved with this business that is really successful in fishing, crabbing and such right now and bringing people into the market. Like the company buys the boats, hires the crews and takes part of the profit."

Our coffees came and Dean interrupted Sam, "Sammy the whole big business bad thing is getting old, would you get to the point."

Sam shot him a dirty look but continued, "Victims one and four were both captains. The reason they weren't connected because one of their boats is owned by a smaller company that is a false buyer for the larger company. Victims two, five and seven were investors. Three was a crewman, and six was one of the founders."

Dean nodded, "You were right Jen, the person binding the god is the one who is choosing the victims. That is the common factor."

I was silent for a moment, "So we are looking for an Irish boatman who is going under because of this company. He is probably losing everything. His family might have already left him, he can't pay his bills, etcetera."

Dean looked over, "Why Irish?"

"At least mostly Irish decent. I don't think that Manannan Mac Lir would be able to be summoned by just anyone. Gods are usually loyal to their people."

Dean took a sip of his coffee, "So what is the game plan then?"

"I think it is time that we hit up some bars." I replied.

* * *

Back at the house I was in my room trying to find some clothes that would pass at a high end bar. See the way I figured, most gods didn't bang the people from the welfare line. Even freaking Zeus, who couldn't keep it in his pants, always went after the upper class. I heard Dean come in the room behind me, "I don't want you to do this."

I didn't even turn around, "I don't care what you think Dean. This is part of the job."

"You are putting yourself out there for a sleazeball god to grab, excuse me if I don't like the plan."

"Listen, I have been bait before and I will be bait again. Like I said it is what we do and we need to stop this… God hates a coward."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I sighed, "It is something my dad always said. It means sometimes you just have to go for it. And usually it will pan out…"

"So what are me and Sam going to do? Not to cramp your style but I think walking in with two huge guys isn't going to be encouraging."

I turned and looked at him, "Sam is trying to find a guy that matches what we are looking for, you need to be ready for when he does."

"No, I am going to be at the bar backing you up."

"Until Sam calls, and then you are going to leave."

He gave me this 'no way in hell look'. "Dean, I hunted four years by myself. If you weren't here I would be doing this one by myself. I can handle it. I am a freaking big girl."

He grumbled and I just rolled my eyes and continued looking through clothes. The biggest trick was covering up my scars. I finally found a plane dress, plenty of cleavage and long sleeves. Ironically, it was seafoam green. I turned again and Dean was still standing in the middle of my room.

"Sam is going to need more backup then I will. Chances are I will just be getting hit on all night by random people and we won't even find him. There is a better chance that you guys will find whoever is controlling him."

Dean nodded, I walked out of my room, to the bathroom and got into the shower.

* * *

Five hours and two bars later, there still wasn't a damn thing, except some really shitty pick-up lines. I was in that dress, which almost made it to my knees, with tall brown boots. I wore matching green and brown jewelry to complement it. My hair, for once, was clean and behaved, running in thick curls past my waist to my hips. I was sitting at the bar nursing a Cosmo. I could see myself in the mirror behind the bar, even though I felt awkward, I could definitely pass for a young businesswoman, maybe a first year associate at a law firm. I noticed that the green rings in my eyes had taken over to match what I was wearing, as they did anytime I wore greens or blues.

Dean had entered the bar ten minutes after me and was sitting in a corner pretending to be working on something but really watching me. It was weird seeing him dressed up, he wore gray slacks and a blue shirt and a tie. Honestly it was funnier than hell seeing him in clothes like that. A woman now and again would try to start a conversation with him and he would flirt back for awhile, and they would give him their phone number. Like he said, couldn't turn off the flirt.

A guy sat next to me and I looked over, fucking great, another winner. A middle-aged office worker looking to hook up. This one was at least clean and neat, the last few had been way too desperate. I looked him up and down, and I already knew this wasn't our god.

"I don't think I have seen you in here before." He said to me. Great, one of those, because I haven't heard that one before.

"You could have just not have noticed." I faced back front.

"I would have noticed you." Now I wanted to puke.

"You are right, I have never been here before. I'm waiting for some people from my office to grab drinks."

"You have been here an awful long time." Even better, a watcher.

"I like to be early for meetings." This guy just couldn't take a hint. My phone buzzed and I looked down, it was a text from Dean.

_'Sam just called. Found a possible. Leaving. Do you want me to stay?'_

_'No, go ahead'_ I texted back. Perfect timing Dean, you have to leave when I got a persistent one. But I wasn't going to give him an excuse to stay.

"How about I buy you another drink?" The guy asked.

"No thank you."

"Fine, let's try this another way. My name is Kevin." He waited and said, "This is the part where you say your name."

Jesus Christ, I turned on him, "Listen Kevin, take a hint. No, number one, I don't have enough daddy issues to want a sugar daddy. I'm guessing your mid to late forties. I'm half your fucking age. Number two, I'm not stupid. Your suit is cheap so I'm guessing, yeah you work in business but you're not top management. Probably mid to right below the really high ones. Which normally would give you enough money to spend on a nice suit but your wife spends all your money. And if that wasn't bad enough you pay for your son's baseball lessons so what little money she didn't spend went to that."

He looked pissed, "How the fuck?"

"Your smart, I will give you that. At least you removed your wedding ring, but your tan. Your fairly light skinned on your hairline but your hands and face are dark tan even though its fall. So you wear a baseball cap when you're with your family, probably watching your son play. Why do I say son? Because you're hitting on me, if you had a daughter you wouldn't because I would look way too much like her. See you had, when you weren't graying, dark brown hair and you have greenish eyes. See men don't tend to hit on women who remind them of their girls."

I smirked, I had nailed it. The guy was turning purple he was so mad. I noticed the people next to us had started listening.

"You bitch!" He said as he stood up.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." I said and faced back front. I ordered another drink from the bartender. Well this night was turning out to be a bust.


	11. Peace of Mind

**A/N: Revised 4/20/15**

Sam had been researching for hours when he finally found a guy who had been arrested for vandalisms on the takeover company's property. The guys name was Brian Maguire. And the more Sam dug, the more this guy looked good for it. His ship went belly up when he couldn't compete, his wife left him with the kids. His last known address was his boat which was in the harbor near where three of the bodies were found. Sam called Dean, "Hey man, I think I got something."

Sam heard a lot of background noise, "_Go ahead Sam."_

"This guy, Maguire, lost everything after that company started up. Family, money, job, house."

"_Sounds like he might be our guy."_

"That's what I was thinking, how is it going there?"

"_Nothing. Jack squat. Jen is getting hit on left and right and I hate these stuffy ass bars."_

"Well, why don't you meet me down at the beach where the last guy was found. The boat should be within walking distance from there."

"_Ten-four. I will be there in fifteen."_

Dean looked over to where Jen was sitting. Some guy had just sat down next to her and was trying to talk to her. Jen's body language told him that this wasn't their guy. This night had been a huge bust. He texted her really quick to let her know that he was leaving.

Twenty minutes later he was waiting for Sam on the beach. Finally, Sam pulled into the lot in some old beater that he had jacked, "What took you so long?"

"There was traffic. How was the bar hopping?"

"Shitty. Jen got hit on by every creep in the bar and I must have gotten fifteen numbers, most of which were major cougars."

"Since when has that ever stopped you?"

"Since we are in the middle of a case that sucks ass."

Sam just shook his head, "Well the last time anyone saw Maguire's boat it was docked in that harbor. I guess we just go over and start looking for it. It is called the Lily."

Dean looked over and Sam answered the silent question, "It was his wife's name."

Dean just nodded and they headed over and started looking through boats, "Hey man, how many boats are in this harbor?"

"Over five hundred."

"Fantastic, this should be a freaking breeze."

* * *

After that asshole left in a rush I ordered another drink. It was almost 10:30 and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to try another bar tonight. Dean had left probably a half an hour ago and I was sick of getting hit on and I was pissed because I wasn't making any progress. I heard a voice beside me, "You know, if you didn't want any attention, you shouldn't have dressed like that."

I half smiled and replied without turning, "I got stood up, I wasn't planning on sitting here by myself all night."

He chuckled and sat down beside me, as the air moved I could smell him. He smelled like the open water, not fishy and nasty but like a good ocean breeze in cool weather. I swallowed quickly and looked over, the guy looked like a freaking model. Black hair and eyes that were the color of green waters. I smiled at him.

"Well the guy who stood you up was an arse." He said. His voice had a slight Irish ring to it, but far more eloquent.

"Yes he is...", I held out my hand to shake his, "I'm Jen."

He took my hand, but instead of shaking it, brought it to his lips, "Conner."

I couldn't help but blush and giggle. I looked back down and put my hand back in my lap. He began talking again, "You don't sound like a local."

"I'm not. I'm in town for a few weeks on business."

He ordered an ale from the bartender and turned back to me, "What do you work in?"

"Hunting, sportsmen type stuff." It wasn't exactly a lie. Conner put down his drink, surprised, "Really? I wouldn't have guessed that."

I baited him, "Because I am a woman?"

He recovered quickly, "Because you are a well educated, gorgeous woman."

I chuckled, he was smooth, but I had expected that. When I didn't answer immediately he pointed at my drink, "May I buy you another, or are you going to pick apart my ego like you did to the last guy?"

I laughed, "I will try to behave myself. No promises though."

He smiled and called the bartender over. "Could the lady have another drink?"

The bartender obliged. "Conner, what do you do?"

He turned to me and I saw the pin on the lapel of his suit, it was a triton. Not typical Greek three pronged, this one had three major prongs and two secondary ones lower.

"I am a lawyer, up for partner at a firm in Boston." He answered without skipping a beat. Lying ass, but I had to give him credit, "Jen, would you like to get a table?"

"Sure." And I followed him to a high table for two in the far corner. We talked for a long time. He was fairly charming and nice, but I knew exactly who he was. The next step was to find his weapon, which I figured he couldn't exactly carry around a huge triton with him, so it was probably disguised. It was going on midnight when he said, "You know, there is a 24/7 diner up the street with the best burgers. You want to go get one?"

"Yes." Honestly I was starving and it would give me a chance to confront him without bystanders. It was pouring when we stepped outside. He offered me his arm and a place under his umbrella. When we arrived at the diner, there was no one there but the staff. We took a seat and ordered. I was nervous, this could go either really good or really, really shitty. Conner's expression totally changed as he looked across the table at me. "Alright Jen, let's get down to business. I know exactly what you are, and you know exactly who I am. So let's talk like the hunter and the god we are."

He leaned back in the seat, putting his arm on the back of the booth seat. His eyes swirled green and gray. He was amused, not pissed like I would have expected him to be. I shrugged, "I don't know what you are talking about."

He laughed, "Don't play coy, you're good but I know. And you know what, I respect you because you're very good. Honestly, two thousand years ago you would have been a fantastic warrior and maybe even a queen. And I would have pursued you to the ends of the earth. But we don't have time for those games now."

I put my elbows on the table, "Alright then, no games. You are smokin' people and I just can't allow that."

"It isn't like I am killing them willingly, Sam and Dean are at the harbor now looking for my captor...Yes I know about Sam and Dean."

He reached into his pocket and put a green and silver tube on the table just as the waitress brought out our food. He reached out and touched her arm, "Be a dear and close this place down."

The waitress walked off as though in a trance, pulling down all the shades. I swallowed hard and stared at 'Conner'.

"Don't be nervous dear, I don't want to hurt you. In all actuality your little band of misfits is doing me a huge favor. When that bastard Maguire bound me, he made me start killing for him. I know there is this whole thing about sacrifice and blah blah, but you know, I think we have moved past that. After all, this is the twenty-first century."

I looked down at the rod on the table, "What is that?"

He pushed it farther toward me, "A sign of good faith. If your boys fail at their job."

Conner looked around, making sure no one was in sight and all of the blinds were closed, "Take it."

He looked at me encouragingly, "I'm serious Jen, take it."

I reached my hand out and as soon as my fingers touched it, the rod began to vibrate. It expanded and in my right hand was a six foot long trident, like the one on his pin. He looked at me and smiled.

* * *

Dean and Sam had been through about half of the harbor in the last hour, "Sam! You got anything yet?"

"Nothing."

"Shit." Dean kept shining his flashlight on the bows of boats. his phone began to vibrate,

"Jen, what's up?"

_"The guy will have a mark on his arm that looks like a funky trident. You need to burn it off or cut it off."_

"What are you talking about?"

"_Once that is done, this will be over."_

Dean was thoroughly confused, "Jen? What the hell are you talking about?" Where are you?"

"_I'm sitting in a diner with Manannan Mac Lir."_

"You wanna run that past me again?"

"_Dean, I'm serious."_

"You haven't ganked him yet?"

"_Dean, get rid of the mark. And Manannan Mac Lir will take care of the rest."_

Jen hung up the phone, "Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled.

"Dean, over here!" Sam called out. Dean found him and Sam had his light pointed on the bow of a boat that was in really rough shape. The words on it were 'The Lily'.

Dean spoke, "Jen just called. The guy will have a mark on his arm. We need to get rid of it and fast."

"Why?"

"Jen is with that dick god right now."

Sam turned, horrified, "What?"

"We need to get this taken care of. Now!"

* * *

I set the phone back down on the table, "There you go."

"Thank you, my dear."

"So what am I supposed to do with this?" I pointed at the rod on the table. Once I had released it, the triton had returned to its previous form.

"That is up to you. You could use it to kill me, which personally isn't my favorite option. You could take it with you. Or you could return it to me."

"How do I know you aren't going to go on a killing spree if I don't kill you?"

"Listen, I have no interest in slaughtering people. Honestly, after spending a millennia asleep, I would just like to, using the colloquial term, 'party' and then return to the sea."

I sat there looking at him, judging. He started talking again,

"That right there, " He pointed at me, "is why I really like you. You are not just smart, you have balance. You act and react equally. You are a rarity."

"I'm flattered," I said sarcastically.

"And you have a sense of humor. Exceptional."

I leaned back and crossed my arms, "How is this going to work?"

"Well, when Sam and Dean are successful I will be unbound. I will take care of Maguire and then be on my merry way. Though if you would let me, I would love to take you out for a night."

I scoffed, "No thank you."

"You're very loyal."

I looked over at him and he answered my question, "To Dean. You haven't known him very long and you have no idea what is going to happen with it. You are very self righteous."

"Sure." I said flatly and he chuckled.

"Very, very rare," He muttered. "Please excuse my brashness. Not many women say no to me."

"I bet." I rolled my eyes and sat back.

"Your manners do need some work though."

"Sorry, I'm not used to having dinner with what I was hunting."

"Ah, you see it as the wolf having dinner with the stag. In reality I would say this is more the wolf having dinner with a bear."

"The wolf can still win."

"Possibly. The wolf would have a better chance with her pack though."

I rolled my eyes at him. If he wasn't a god and I wasn't a hunter I would have probably been friends with him. He continued to watch me, "Jen in about two minutes your phone is going to ring and I am hopefully and disappointingly never going to see you again."

I scoffed. He continued to talk, "Jen, listen to me, it might not be tomorrow but someday in the future, you are going to be tested. You are a rarity. Someone like you only shows up once every few thousand years. I haven't seen someone like you since the time of Christ. You are very important and extremely useful to the grand scheme of things. Don't ever lose who you are dear. That would be such a shame dear."

* * *

Dean drew his gun and nodded over to Sam. They were on the deck of the boat and clearing the upper deck. Below they heard clanging. Sam pointed to the stairwell and Dean followed close behind. They cleared three more compartments. Opening up the next door, Sam had to duck as a pipe was swung at his head. Dean snatched it out of the man's hands and Sam tackled him.

"Help!" The man screamed and Sam put his hand over his mouth. Dean helped Sam secure him. The man continued to try to yell but Sam tied his hands behind his back and stuffed a rag they found in his mouth.

"Are you Maguire?" Sam asked.

The man looked terrified, Dean backhanded him, "Answer."

The guy nodded. Dean started rolling up the man's sleeves. Right below Maguire's right elbow was a wonky trident, branded into his skin.

"Well, well..." Dean pointed, "Someone has been busy with some funky stuff."

Maguire spit out the rag, "If you're gonna kill me just do it. I ain't got nothin' to loose anymore. Fuckin' psychos."

Dean snorted, "Not as bad as you. Now we know you have been using that god to do your dirty work. So here is the question, are we just supposed to let you go?"

"Don't know what you are saying mate. You are talking crazy."

Sam pointed to the brand, "That little mark says differently."

Dean pulled out a knife and Maguire started yelling again. Sam stuffed the rage back into his mouth and held the arm still. Dean sliced the mark off with a few extra layers of skin.

* * *

My phone began to buzz, "Dean?"

"_It should be done. We left the guy on his boat. Sam is going to drop an anonymous tip about 'suspicious activity on the boat'. Are you alright?"_

I looked over at Conner and he smiled and nodded, "I'm totally fine. How do you want me to handle this?"

_"I would smoke him, but it is your call."_

"Meet up back at the house?"

"_See you there."_

I hung up the phone and looked across the table. Conner watched me,

"Decisions, decisions." He said. I exhaled. I really had no reason to kill the guy, he hadn't killed anyone he hadn't been forced to.

"I won't give you a chance next time."

He chuckled, "I would expect nothing less. But I am in your debt, if you need anything, I am only a summoning ritual away."

He stood and offered his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

"Next time, my dear." And he kissed my hand again and bowed slightly. I half smiled and walked out of the diner and headed down the street. It was still pouring and I only had the light dress jacket. I didn't have very much cash left on me so I was searching for an empty street and an empty car. Four blocks or so from the diner I heard a group of men following me. I took a quick right, then two lefts and another right. Still they were behind me. Fuck. I didn't have a weapon except for a knife in my boot. I pulled my phone out of the clutch I had been carrying.

"Dean we are going to have to meet somewhere else."

_"Why? What's up?"_

"I have a few things stuck to my shoe." It was code for 'I was being followed'.

He became serious, _"How many?"_

"Maybe four, does that sound good?"

_"Do you have anything?"_

"You shouldn't need a knife to eat that with."

"_God dammit, why don't you have a gun?"_

"I couldn't exactly fit that in this dress."

"_Where are you?"_

"I am going to duck into this bar at 5th and Jefferson, it is a college bar."

"_Okay, hold tight there."_

I never looked behind me, just ducked in and found a table in the back where I could watch the door. When the waiter came over I just ordered a coke that I didn't even touch.

* * *

"Sam, we gotta go."

Sam was finishing up his tip to the police, "What's up?"

"Jen is being followed. She is holed up at a bar right now but she will probably bolt if it heats up. All she has on her is a knife."

Sam and Dean sprinted for the car. They were moving so fast that they failed to notice a man, dressed in a sharp suit, sauntering down the docks. Traffic was a bitch because the drunks were beginning to leave the bars.

"C'mon" Dean yelled.

Finally, thirty minutes later Dean parked the Impala in front of the bar. Him and Sam leapt out and ran into the bar, through the rain. They looked around quickly, Jen wasn't in sight. Sam began to walk around, double checking that she wasn't there. Dean ran up to the bar and waved the bartender over, "Hey have you seen a woman come in here in the last hour or so?"

"Yeah, about twenty of them."

"She would have long brown hair, not dressed for here, probably looked a little nervous."

"Oh, yeah. She only ordered a coke..." He pointed, "Far back corner."

"Thanks." Dean pushed through college students to the back. Sam saw him and followed. The table at the back was empty and a full coke sat, untouched.

"Son of a bitch." Dean said as he pulled out his phone. It began to ring. Sam heard the buzzing coming from under the table. He reached down and held it up for Dean to see. It was Jen's phone.

"She wouldn't just freaking leave it here." Dean said. He rushed back up to the bar, "That woman? You didn't by chance see her leave?"

"Man, I don't see half of the stuff that happens here. But she never left out the front. I would check the bathrooms."

Dean walked away towards the front. Sam followed and they stood under the overhang for a moment. They both had a bad feeling about this. Suddenly there was the crash of garbage cans from around the alley. Dean took off.

"Bitch!" Sam and Dean heard. It was coming from far down the alleyway. They couldn't see much because of the rain. There was more crashing. Dean was sprinting and when he turned the corner he skidded to a stop. Down the alley there were five guys, two were holding Jen's arms and she was trying to kick but was unable to, at another huge guy who was laughing as he ripped her dress. There was blood everywhere. He punched her in the stomach. Sam had finally caught up,

"Holy shit." Sam breathed. The guys heard and looked up. Sam and Dean ran down the alley and tackled two of the guys. When Dean rolled ontop of his, one of the guys that had been holding Jen's arms, Dean pulled his gun. The three others took off, Sam was struggling with his.

"Dean!" Sam yelled. Dean pistol whipped the guy he was on top of and knocked him out. The guy Sam was struggling with got the upper hand and took off when he saw Dean's gun. Dean drew up on him.

"Dean, no." Sam said. Dean held for a moment and then heard Jen groan painfully. He lowered his gun and turned around. She was laying there, struggling slowly, trying to get to her feet, but slipping in the water. Dean rushed over to her and pulled her to him. He put her head between his hands. Her eyes couldn't focus and were wild. She was trying to speak but couldn't.

"Sam, she's been drugged." Dean pulled off his jacket and put it around her.

"I will go get the car." Sam said and Dean tossed him the keys. Seconds later, Sam pulled around. Dean heaved Jen up in his arms and set her in the back seat. Sam ran around and then helped Dean put the guy into the trunk, handcuffing his hands and placing a gag in his mouth. Dean slid into the back seat with Jen. She was soaking wet and shivering from the cold.

"Sammy drive!"

Sam floored it back to the house. Dean looked Jen over the entire way. There were bruises appearing down her arms and some minor cuts. The worst of it was on her chest where there was a long cut from a blade. When they arrived Dean carried Jen into the house and straight up to her room. The entire way she struggled, confused and scared. He returned and helped Sam drag the guy down into the basement where they secured him to the wall. Dean turned to Sam, "See if you can figure out what they dosed her with and who else was in on this. I want them all dead."

Sam just nodded. Dean ran all the way back up the stairs. Jen sat on the bed with her arms around her knees. She was struggling to focus.

"Jen?" Dean asked softly. He went to touch her knee, he could feel her shivering, her skin was cold as ice.

"Fuck," He said under his breath and started pacing.

"Jen? Who was that? Do you know them?" When she didn't answer he kneeled in front of her and grabbed her chin. She tried to pull away but it was a feeble effort. She had no strength to fight his grip, "Focus, who were they?"

"Eth..." She trailed off like she had forgotten how to talk. She tried again "E.."

It dawned on Dean, "Ethan?"

Her eyes focused unnaturally and searched the room, "Jen, no one is going to hurt you but you need to focus and tell me what happened."

"Bar..."

"You were in the bar, in the back."

"Back, and...sat."

"They came through the back?" Jen nodded, and then slowly brought her hand to her neck. Dean half stood and moved her dripping hair. Right on her jugular was a needle mark, "They drugged you and then took you out the back."

Jen put her face in her knees. Dean stroked her hair, she began to hyperventilate, "Shh. Easy. Jen, breathe."

"I...knife." Dean realized that she must have pulled her knife on them. But she hadn't been strong enough because of the drugs and that was how she got that nasty gash across her chest. He pulled her more upright and looked at it. It wasn't going to need stitches but it was probably going to scar because of how wide it was.

"I will be right back." Dean rushed to her bathroom and was trying to find some alcohol or peroxide. Sam entered the bathroom behind him.

"They dosed her with ketamine. Looked it up real quick, it is a horse tranquilizer but in small doses will work on people. You lose mobility and can't think straight, but you are totally aware of what is going on."

"Get anything else?" Dean asked.

"He isn't giving up the other guys names. I'm pretty sure he isn't the ring leader though." Sam paused, "How is Jen?"

"I'm gonna try to patch her up. She is freaking hysterical, can we do anything about that drug, keda-."

"Ketamine. Not really. It should wear off by morning. Maybe a little longer if they gave her a big dose. Listen, Dean, we are gonna get these guys, but then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we don't kill people, and we can't exactly drop them off with the cops..."

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it."

Sam just nodded, "I'm gonna see what else I can get out of him, then I will go and try to track down some of these guys. If it is a regular thing, maybe there is something else they can get locked up for."

Sam left and Dean headed back to Jen. She hadn't moved. He went to her closet and looked around, he found a zip-up hoodie and some sweats, "I know you aren't gonna want to hear this but we are gonna have to get you into dry clothes or you are gonna freeze to death."

"No..." She mumbled. Dean felt so bad for her, he hadn't been there to back her up and he felt like it was his fault. He reached and tried to pull her upright.

"No." She said weakly again.

"I'm so sorry Jen but you need help, and the only help you got right now is me."

Dean pulled her to her feet and her knees crumpled, "Easy there, just lean against me."

She put his hands on his chest and rested her forehead there too, breathing deeply. Dean reached and grabbed the folds on her dress, pulling in slowly over her head. She was left standing there in a black strapless bra and underwear. Dean wouldn't be a guy if he didn't notice that she was built and that she was, well, only in a bra and underwear, but he also noticed all the scars on her. Cuts, jagged knife wounds, claw marks and a few bullet holes that had been patched up. Her legs began to shake and she started to go down again. Dean caught her and while pulling her upright noticed that her bra and underwear were soaked all the way through as well and that cut was dirty. That was just freaking great, he thought, this was going to scar her for life, "Jen, I uh, hate to be the bearer of bad news but those are going to have to come off too and that cut needs cleaned."

She shook her head back and forth, mumbling. Dean could only make out bits of the mumbo-jumbo, but he was pretty sure 'fuck no' was the jist of it. He set her down so that her back was against the bed. He poured rubbing alcohol on a rag and kneeled with his legs on either side of her's.

"This is gonna hurt like a bitch." He put one hand on her neck to steady her and then wiped out the cut. She flinched right away but then relaxed. Dean wasn't sure if it was the drugs or she was just a tough bitch. When he was done he kissed her on the forehead for a moment. He got up and started rummaging in the drawers. Finally he was able to find a plane bra and underwear he hoped would work. He turned and looked at her, Jen looked back warily. Dean exhaled uncomfortably. He was trying to help her but he wondered if in the process he was hurting what they had. She shook her head again.

"Jen you are gonna get sick and freeze to death. Be reasonable, I'm not gonna cop a free feel, okay?"

Jen tried to scoot around but her arms gave out. Dean was able to catch her before her head hit the bed, "God dammit Jen!"

He grabbed her face and held her eyes, "Grow up and let me help you. I won't even grab a look from the front okay?"

She closed her eyes and he took it as a yes. It was a struggle but she was kneeling with her hands on the bed to steady herself. Dean unhooked her bra from behind and let it fall. He helped her move her arms into the straps and hooked it behind her. Then he helped her struggle into the sweatshirt and zipped it for her. They were face to face on her floor. He noticed that her eyes were clearing up a bit.

Thank...you" She managed to get out. Dean smiled and kissed her quickly, first on the lips and then her forehead.

"Don't thank me yet, we still have to get pants on you. Do you think you can stand?"

Jen nodded slowly. Dean got up first and then hauled he to her feet gently. She was shaky, but she managed to stay upright, holding onto Dean. He smiled awkwardly and placed her hands on his shoulders and kneeled down pulling her underwear with him. This was definitely not how he ever pictured this with Jen.

"Step." He commanded. Dean felt her put her weight on his shoulders and she stepped out of her panties. Dan grabbed the sweats and dry panties and lined them up so that he could get this done all at once.

"Step." He said again and pulled everything up. When he was standing again he looked down, Jen was turning about a hundred different shades of red. Dean remembered that Sam said that the drug left the person pretty lucid. Her legs gave out again and he sat her back down on the bed and he sat on a chair across from her.

"Sam and me are gonna get these sons of bitches."

Jen refused to talk. Dean watched her face, the redness was starting to dissipate.

"I'm gonna go talk to Sam." Dean got up and went downstairs, Sam was coming up from the basement.

"Whatcha got?"

"A few names. I'm gonna track them down, see if they have any other things the cops can pin on them, or I guess we could set them up with something later."

"Okay, you wanna call and keep me updated?"

"Yeah I will. That guy is secure in the basement. I should be back before the afternoon."

Dean just nodded. He went up the stairs slowly. He wanted to kill the bastard in the basement, the only thing that stopped him was that the kid was useful in finding the other bastards. When he entered the room, Jen was laying on her side shaking again. Dean kneeled in front of her and saw the tears going down her cheeks.

"Aw shit, babe… You are safe." Dean pulled her to the head of the bed and onto his chest. He was half sitting because of how many pillows there were. She curled up into a ball, he wrapped his arms around her the best he could. She buried her face in his chest. She never sobbed, but he watched the tears stream. An hour or so later her eyes closed and she drifted off. Dean shifted and laid her on the bed, he got up and pulled the covers so he could get Jen underneath them. He ditched his clothes except for his t-shit and boxers and laid down, covering them both up. He laid on his side, Jen laid on hers facing him. Dean pulled her in tight and fell asleep listening to her breath.

They slept until just before dawn. The only time Dean had woken was when Jen rolled over. He had waited until she settle and then scooted behind her, put his arm around her waist and dozed off again.

* * *

I stirred, feeling Dean's warm body against my back. It took me a moment, but I remembered what had happened last night. First meeting Conner, then walking to the bar, being followed. Fucking Ethan sitting in the booth across from me, the pain in my neck and how fuzzy everything got. Them dragging me to the alley, them laughing, me trying to fight. Dean tackling them and then bringing me home.

"How are you feeling?" Dean asked gruffly from behind me.

"Like I have the worst hangover ever. My head is pounding."

I heard him exhale heavily and pull me flush with his body, grip tight. He put his face below my hairline and began kissing me, working his way down my neck and over my exposed shoulder where the sweatshirt had slid down. I laid totally still.

"Dean.." I paused as he worked his way back up my neck.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He leaned over me and I turned my head so that I was face to face with him, our noses touching, "You don't ever need to thank me for anything."

He laid back down and rubbed my side, "You scared the shit out of me Jen, I'm just glad you are in one piece."

After a moment he pulled the sheet down, and moved down to my side where my shirt rode up. He pushed my sweats down a little farther and kissed me exactly like he had done on my neck, letting his nose drag so that it tickled and I twitched. I never looked but I felt him pause on the scar where he had patched me up from that knife in Hibbing. I rolled onto my back and looked at him. He smiled like a goof and I snorted, unable to keep myself from laughing.

He moved so quick that it caught me off guard. He moved on top of me, kissing me, like full on teenage making out shit. It took me a second to respond and when I did, he pressed his body against mine. His one hand was beside my head and the other reached and pulled my leg up to his hip. His hand drug the full length of my body and back to my face. All the while his lips never left mine. He pulled his mouth away, and I tried to catch my breath, searching his face. Dean smiled again.

* * *

Dean was surprised by how well Jen reacted to him. Honestly, he had expected her to be in a lot worse shaped this morning and that she would have told him to '_fuck off_'. He watched her search his face. He was just so freaking relieved that she was alive and so happy that she wasn't freaking out. He pushed back against her and kissed her again, then he moved to her neck again, working his way slowly down to her collar bone. Her other leg was wrapped around his calf.

Dean's lips where on her sternum between her breasts when he felt her chest vibrate and heard her moan. He stopped and glanced up. Jen looked every direction except at him. Trying to pretend that that didn't just happened. Dean put his forehead against her chest and chuckled, he could hear her giggling. He moved his arms behind her back and rocked back up suddenly, pulling her up with him so that she straddled his lap on her knees. It also made her higher than him. For the first time, Jen made the first move and kissed him. Their lips were locked and her hands were in his hair, curling and uncurling. His were on the small of her back, pushing her body against his. Breath coming in gasps and mixing. Her hands moved to his chest and then down his stomach to the hem of his shirt. Dean stopped kissing her and grabbed her hands in his gently, "Absolutely not."

He saw the confusion in her eyes followed by the pain of the rejection. Dean pulled her face back down to his and kissed her lightly, one hand on her cheek and then spoke again, "I'm not saying never Jen, I am saying not now. I'm not going to be a one time thing for you and if we do that this morning, that is what it is going to be. And if you think it through, you know that. You are doing it because you think that's what I want. You need to do this because it is what you want. "

She wouldn't look him in the eye because she was embarrassed so Dean continued, "Jesus, Jen. I fucking want you, Christ. I have since you walked up as Ms. Ulrich, but it isn't going to be like this."

Jen turned her head and Dean thought he lost her, but she kissed the palm of his hand softly and then again and again. He knew he had been forgiven and pushed her onto her back again. He pushed his fingers between hers, intertwining them and leaned to kiss her again. He continued until his phone rang on the nightstand.

"Shit." Dean said. He rolled off of Jen and picked up the phone.

"Yeah Sam, what's up?"

_"Hey I am following this one guy and he keeps circling around near the house every couple hours. What do you want me to do?"_

"I will meet you out front when you pull up." Dean hung up the phone, Jen had already crawled out of bed and was pulling jeans and shoes on.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?" Dean asked.

"With you and Sam."

"Uh, no." Dean started pulling clothes on.

"Uh, yeah."

"No."

"Dean, I need to take care of this." And with that Jen walked out the door and down the stairs. Dean followed quickly. She opened a closet at the bottom of the stairs and grabbed a huge bowie knife out and a 9mm gun that she shoved down the back of her pants. They both heard the engine of the Impala turn the corner.

"Jen..." Dean grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around. Her face was set and determined, "...Okay then."

He followed her out to the Impala.

* * *

Sam drove the Impala around the neighborhood a few times before I spotted him ducking into the bushes. Sure as shit, it was Ethan, "Sam, go up two blocks and pull over."

He did and I jumped out, walking quickly down the street to where Ethan had disappeared. I heard doors slam behind me, Dean ran up beside me, "Jen, you can't kill a guy in broad daylight."

"Watch me." I kept walking and he walked slightly behind me.

"Jen you can't do this. It isn't…"

"Dean, he will follow me when I walk past him. You need to take this next left, walk two blocks and a right. You will see an abandoned building. I am going to lead him in from another way I will go down two blocks and take two lefts."

To my surprise, Dean obliged and I turned to see Sam following him. I strutted right past the bush where I had seen Ethan duck into, making sure I stayed out of arms reach. And three blocks later, I took a right. When I turned, I caught him out of the corner of my eye jumping from one yard to the next.

* * *

"Where the hell is the building?" Dean asked.

"You are sure she said left, two blocks and then right?"

"Yes I'm sure Sam, goddammit!" He kicked a nearby trashcan. A thought crossed Dean's mind and his stomach dropped.

"Fuck Sam, c'mon." Dean took off at a run.

"What Dean?"

"She told us the wrong way on purpose."

* * *

I figured I only had about ten minutes after they left me before Dean realized I had tricked him and sent him in the wrong direction. And those ten minutes were winding down. I was almost to the street that had a few abandoned apartments, and I knew Ethan was still following me. I walked behind the buildings and hid behind a corner. A few seconds later, Ethan walked past where I was hiding and stopped, confused on how he had lost me. I stepped out, "Hello Ethan."

He whipped around and then smiled devilishly, "Jennifer. How you feeling this morning?"

"Fantastic. You?"

He looked around, and I answered his question, "They aren't here."

Ethan moved toward me, slowly, hands up. But I saw the twitch as he had put his hands up, when he had passed his waistline. There was a knife sheathed in the back of his pants. I grabbed my bowie knife from my boot, "You really don't want to come any closer."

He stopped and smiled slyly, " Jennifer, you were never a fighter."

"You just never paid attention. You didn't know me. " His hands lowered, he was ten feet away. And I saw him reach for the knife and he rushed forward and tackled me. As he hit me I went with it, using his weight to roll us. As we rolled I stuck the knife into his rib cage, he groaned and let go of me. I was flung across the lot, and skidded. I got back up, watching him gasp for air. I walked back over slowly, he watched me the entire way.

"Bitch." He spit out along with some blood.

"Yeah, I know. But at least I'm a bitch and not a pig, lying on the ground, choking on his own blood."

He stared at me, mother-fucking me from here to the ends of the earth. I kneeled with a knee on his chest.

"You fucked with the wrong person." I said and pushed the knife through the bottom of his jaw and into his brain. I watched his eyes go dark. It was done. As I pulled the knife out Dean and Sam ran around the corner. I got up and walked over to them.

"Let's go."

Dean grabbed my arm, "Jen..."

"I said let's get out of here. I'm fine."

We walked back to the Impala, drove back to the house. Sam grabbed the guy who was downstairs and turned him loose. I packed up my shit and grabbed some new weapons to add to the Impala. I also packed a bag with some books that might be helpful. I heard Dean lean against

the doorway. He rubbed the back of his neck, "You should have let us help."

"I needed to take care of it."

"You didn't trust us enough?"

"No, I knew you would stop me. I needed him permanently out of my life. That guy was more of a monster than half of the things we hunt. Now he can't hurt anyone else, ever."

Dean nodded and went to finish packing his stuff. Within the hour I had called Ben to tell him I was on my way out and we were headed north to New York. And headed for the next hunt.


	12. Provenance

**A/N: Revised 4/22/15**

After we had left Boston we were headed for right outside of New Paltz, New York. It would be about a four hour drive. I sat in the backseat, it was quiet, Dean didn't even have the radio playing. Sam had given trying to start a conversation a few good tries, but Dean's one word answers and grunts shot him down. He was pissed at me, but screw it, he would get over it eventually. It was after dark when we made it to town and were parked in front of the Telesca's house. We sat there for a moment looking up and down the street, it was quiet. I jumped out of the car and walked up to the house, and looked through the window. There was nothing. No furniture, no pictures, no nothing. Shit. Dean and Sam were watching me from the car, I just turned and shook my head. I pulled on a couple of the windows and one happened to be unlocked, I slipped inside.

These people definitely had had money when they were alive, the wood floors were mahogany, the countertops were granite. I pulled out my EMF meter and walked around, opening cupboards and closets. A whole lot of nothing turned up. I climbed back outside, down the steps and back into the Impala, "There isn't anything in the house, everything must have moved already. I swept it with the EMF just in case, it is clean."

"Great, " Sam said, "That means we need to track down their stuff, it could be an object."

Dean rubbed his forehead, "Why can't the stuff ever just stay put so we can get rid of it? That would make our job a hell of a lot easier."

He turned the key and the engine caught. We drove around town a little until we saw a shabby motel that looked like it was fairly cheap. Sam went to the desk and paid. When he walked back out, he threw me a set of keys, "Jen, you got the room next to ours. I think it is like fourteen and fifteen."

"Thanks."

We all grabbed our shit and walked across the lot, all I knew I was ready for some TV and sleep. And I could really go for a decent shower, it seemed like weeks ago but I realized how much shit had happened in one day. First, I woke up and had a major make-out session with Dean, then I got rid of my psycho ex and finally we drove all the way to New York and I swept the house for EMF. Talk about your jam packed day.

I slipped my key into the lock and opened the door, I looked at the room and couldn't believe the shit I was seeing. I dropped my bags and ran over to the boy's room and opened their door. Their room was the same as mine. Retro- 70s- disco- hell. Black and white décor with a fucking disco ball lamp, the old round hard mushroom type chairs.

"I physically cannot handle this." I said, staring blankly at the stuff.

Dean turned and smirked at me, "Come on, this is freaking awesome."

I knew my face was horrified, "This is the definition of hell, Dean. Hell."

Sam just ignored us and started to talk, "Well we need to find where the Telesca's estate went. Hopefully it all went to one place."

He pulled out his laptop and sat at the round table. I was still looking at the room, feeling nauseous. This was un-freaking real. Dean just leapt onto his bed and smiled, looking proud of himself. I rolled my eyes and turned to leave, "Night boys."

Dean sat up, "You aren't gonna stick around?"

"Nah, Sam has this covered and we can't do anything until morning anyways. So 'night" I walked back to my room and did exactly what I had planned on doing. I got a hot shower and put on comfy sweats. Then I turned on the TV and watched reruns of _Cheers_. Not two episodes in my door opened and Dean strolled in. I looked up, he had a six pack with him, "Sam kicked me out for awhile, something about me being annoying, I don't know what he is talking about."

He held a beer towards me and I took it, popping off the lid, "Thanks."

He stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, and I looked from the TV back at him, "You can sit down."

Dean furrowed his brow to which I said, "Don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself."

"Ah, you're freaking hilarious."

I laughed, and he snorted and sat down on the other bed, stiffly. I sighed, "You're still pissed at me, aren't you?"

"Ye-p." He said curtly.

I shook my head, "Dean for christ-sake. I made a decision that I have to live with. I didn't want to involve you in it. I get that you're pissed but could you yell or something? This not talking at all shit is driving me insane."

Dean looked down and thought for a moment, "What if he would have killed you? You didn't think about that."

"He was a sadistic bastard, but he wasn't a killer. I can handle myself."

He mumbled under his breath, but I caught it, "...like you handled yourself in the alley."

I was so fucking pissed I was seeing black spots. I stood up and faced him, "The fuck did you say?"

He stared back at me, unwavering, "I said 'like you handled yourself in the alley.'"

I stood right in front of where he sat, "That is really fucking low."

He stood and looked down at me, "But it is true."

I felt like my head was going to explode, "If you are gonna be an ass, get out!"

"Make me."

"What are we? Five? Get the hell out of my room!"

"Jen, you could have fucking died! You went in with no back-up!"

"Dammit, that is what we do. What we do is always dangerous. I could die tomorrow, and you know what, it doesn't matter. Because this is my job and this is my life. Nobody would give a shit. The world would move on."

He was turning red, "Dammit Jen it would matter to me. I'm sure it would matter to your family if I had to show up to their house and say 'hey you don't know me but I watched your daughter bleed out on the pavement' "

"Dean, get out of my room, before I strangle you."

"Fine." He walked out and slammed the door behind him.

"Urgh." I let myself fall backwards onto my bed. I laid awake for awhile, but eventually dozed off.

* * *

The next morning there was a knock on Jen's door. When she opened it it was Sam, "Hey, the Telesca's stuff is at an auction house. Can you be ready to go in thirty?"

"Yep."

Shortly, they were all in the Impala. Sam and Dean were in the usual plaid ensemble with light, plain jackets, jeans and boots. Jen wore skinny jeans with combat boots, a long sleeve black shirt and a vest. When they pulled into the lot of the auction house, Jen immediately realised their mistake. The lot was full of expensive cars: BMWs, Porsche, Jaguars, and everything else high end. When they entered the doors there was classical violin music playing.

"Guys, "Jen hissed, "I don't think we are going to be able to pull this one off."

Sam nodded but Dean said, "Don't worry about it, it is all in acting like you belong."

"Well I definitely don't think we belong here." Jen replied under her breath. They wandered around casually, looking extremely out of place. As Dean passed, reaching for food from a tray, he drew disapproving looks. Jen tried her best to shrink into Sam and Dean's shadows. All three of them were on the lookout for anything from the Telesca estate. Dean turned back to Sam and Jen, "Consignment auctions, estate sales. Looks like a garage sale for Wasps if you ask me."

He reached and took more food from a tray, Sam cleared his throat.

"What?" Dean said with his mouth stuffed. Jen snorted at how ridiculous he looked. All three of them jumped at a voice behind them.

"Can I help you two gentlemen?" He looked and saw Jen on the other side, "And lady?"

"I'd like some champagne please." Dean says in a mock high-class voice. Sam elbowed him in the stomach, "He's not a waiter."

Dean raised an eyebrow and Sam held out his hand to the man, "I'm Sam Connors. "

The man just stared between the three of them. When the man wouldn't take Sam's hand he pointed to Dean and then Jen, "That's my brother Dean and our assistant Jennifer. We're art dealers, with Connors Limited."

The man looked like he swallowed his own tongue, "You. Are...art dealers?"

"That's right." Sam said, maintaining composure.

"I'm Daniel Blake, this is my auction house. Now this is a private showing, and I don't remember seeing you on the guest list."

Dean responded, "We're there chuckles, you just need to take another look."

It was Jen's turn. She stepped on his foot, hard. Dean jumped away from her and almost collided with a waiter that had drinks on his tray. Dean reached out and grabbed one.

"Oh. Finally." Dean said and sniffed at the glass. Then he turned and walked away. Sam shot him a dirty look, smiled awkwardly at Blake and then followed Dean. Jen realized she was standing alone and scrambled after them. They received more disgruntled looks from customers. A painting catches Jen's eye as she rushes past, skidding to a stop, "Hey guys! Look at this."

It was a hideous freaking painting. Down-right creepy. It was a family with a few kids, real dark. Dean and Sam step behind her.

"That is just the creepiest this I have ever seen." Dean said with a face. Jen grabbed the tag and showed them, "It is a part of the Telesca estate."

Another voice startled them, "I fine example of American Primitive wouldn't you say?"

The three of them turned to see a woman in a black dress walking down the staircase. She was probably about the same age as Sam, and extremely pretty in the high society sense: sleek and model-like. Sam turns away to look at the painting, Dean slaps him on the back, Jen shakes her head at them. Sam was the first to speak, "Well I'd say it's more Grant Wood than Grandma Moses. But you knew that, you just wanted to see if I did. "

The woman smiled, "Guilty. And clumsy. I apologize. I'm Sarah Blake."

"I'm Sam. This is my...brother, Dean and our partner Jen." Another waiter passed and Dean stuffed his face.

"Dean. Can we get you some more mini-quiche?" Sarah asked.

"I'm good, thanks. " Dean said through the food.

"I think he is about cut off anyways." Jen said and Sarah laughed and then turned to Sam, "So, can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, actually," Sam responded," What can you tell us about the Telesca estate?"

"The whole thing's pretty grisly if you ask me, selling your things this soon. But Dad's right about one thing, sensationalism brings out the crowds. Even the rich ones."

Sam didn't miss a beat, "Is it possible to see the provenances?"

The old man came up behind them, "I'm afraid there isn't any chance of that."

"And why not?" Jen asked

Blake looked at Jen down his nose, "You're not on the guest list. And I think it's time to leave."

Dean made a face and grabbed some more food, "Well we don't have to be told twice."

Blake looked like he was looking at pile of worms, "Apparently you do."

Sam stepped up, "Okay. It's alright. We don't want any trouble. We'll go."

Dean and Jen shared a look and b-lined for the exit. Sam exchanged a look with Sarah and as he walked after them he heard Sarah, "Dad that was just rude."

* * *

We were scrambling for the car before Sir Stick Up His Ass called the cops on us. When we were all in the car Dean turned to Sam, "Grant Wood, Grandma Moses?"

"Art history course."

Dean started smirking,

"C'mon Dean. It's good for meeting girls." Sam complained.

Dean started the engine, "It's like I don't even know you."

Sam looked back at me, "Jen, help me out here."

"Dude, that's pretty feminine."

Sam exhaled loudly, the muscles in his face tightening. Dean laughed and pulled the car out of the lot.

"What was...providence?" Dean asked

Sam rolled his eyes and replied, "Prov-e-nance. It's a certificate of origin, like a biography. You know we can use them to check the history of the pieces, see if any of them have a freaky past."

"Well I don't think chuckles will give us anything, " I raised my eyebrows, "but Sarah..."

Sam chuckled, "Yeah, maybe Dean can get her to write it all down on a cocktail napkin."

Dean laughed, "I don't think she meant me."

"No no no, pick ups are your thing Dean." Sam said defensively.

"It wasn't his ass she was checking out." I said looking down.

Sam shot me a look over the seat, "In other words, you two want me to use her to get information."

Dean winked, "Sometimes you gotta take one for the team. Call her."

We were almost back at the motel. When Dean parked the car, Sam pulled out his phone and me and Dean crawled out of the car and went into their room.

"Setting your brother up?" I asked.

"Dude needs to get laid. I have been with that guy 24/7 since he left Stanford and he hasn't even had drinks with a chick. That girl seems his style."

Sam walked in, Dean looked at him and cocked his eyebrow, "Yeah?"

Sam got uncomfortable and then nodded, "Yeah, restaurant tonight at seven."

"Hey brother, I will even give you the car. And as a bonus, you text and I will clear out of the rom. Huh? Huh?"

Sam rolled his eyes and then went into the bathroom, Dean elbowed me in the ribs and I just chuckled. He was so freaking proud of himself.

* * *

Sam had picked up Sarah by 6:45 and she had directed him to an upscale restaurant, where they were sitting at a table across from each other.

"Nice place." Sam said, biting his lip.

"Yeah." Sarah smiled awkwardly and there was a long pause. And then she tried again, "Glad you called. Surprised, but glad."

"Yeah?" Sam half smiled.

"Although you seemed to have a hard time getting out the words "Would you like to have dinner".

Sam hesitated , "Ahh...yeah. I haven't really been on a date in a while."

Sarah rolled her eyes, relieved, "Welcome to the club."

Sam was surprised, "You're kidding me."

The waiter came over, "Here we are. The wine list."

Sam took the list and flipped through the pages randomly and uncomfortably. Sarah looked over at the waiter, "I don't know about Romeo here but I'll have a beer."

The waiter glanced at Sam, "And you?"

Sam smiled, "Make that two."

After that the conversation flowed a lot easier between them. Their dinner came, they ate and then they kept drinking and talking. "So you studied art in school huh?"

Sarah laughed, "It's true. I was an artist. A terrible terrible artist. And that's why I'm in the auction business. And you were pre-law?"

"Yep." Sam nodded

"But you didn't go to law school. How come?"

Sam got uncomfortable again, "Ahh, that's a really really long story for another time."

Sarah nodded, not pushing him, "You're not like any art dealer I've ever met."

They exchanged a look and then Sam cleared his throat, "So, what did you mean when you said you haven't been on a date in a while. Trying to make me feel like I'm not such a loser?"

"I'm sure you're many things Sam. I'm also sure loser isn't one of them." Sarah hesitated, and then spoke, "It was my Mom. She died about a year ago. Totally unexpected. It really threw me. I went into this shell. A nice warm safe shell. But lately I've been thinking. It's not what she would have wanted for me. So..."

She stopped again and then quickly changed the subject, "So what about you? You're a reasonably attractive guy."

Sam laughed, "Reasonably? "

"Why haven't you been out and about?"

Sam thought about what to tell her. Then he looked at her and his face fell. Sarah just watched him and then said, "Another long story for another time."

Sam nodded slowly.

* * *

Once Sam had left Dean and I ordered a large pizza with every kind of meat imaginable on it. We were chilling on the couch in my room, chowing down on the pizza.

"This is freaking awesome." I said.

Dean grunted in agreement, his mouth stuffed, "Wh-t -re we -nna do -nig?"

Against all odds, I got the message. "There really isn't anything we can do until Sam gets that history whatever."

Dean swallowed the piece pretty much whole, "Cards?"

I reached over and grabbed a deck out of my bag, "Gin?"

"I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Whatever Dean. You can't beat me at darts, I don't know how you even have a chance at cards."

"Well if you're so good, how about strip poker?" I just gave him a look, his face fell, "Fine...gin."

We sat side by side, and an hour and a half and fifty hands later I had won forty-three of them, not that I was counting or anything.

"Gin." I said again.

"Son of a bitch." Dean threw down his cards and leaned forward, "No one is that fucking lucky."

I smirked, "Why I am."

Dean turned his head and looked at me shaking his head.

"Another ass beating?" I asked.

He handed me the cards, "Deal it."

I dealt the next hand and as I went to draw he leaned back trying to look at my hand, "Don't look at my hand, cheater."

"I would never dream of it." Dean said innocently. Then he reached and tried to grab my cards.

"Give 'em." He grunted and attempted to pull the cards out of my hands. I leaned back, trying to get away and he started wrestling me for them.

"Dean, stop." I laughed. He poked me in the ribs, I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard. He grabbed the cards out of my hand and tossed them across the room.

"Opps." He laughed.

"You are such a sore loser. I was winning." I punched him in the shoulder, "Asshole."

He chuckled. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked over and up at me. I smiled at him and he flicked the rest of the deck of the table.I groaned, what a bad loser. He kept looking at me, I search his face, "What?"

He shook his head, thought for a moment "Fuck it."

And suddenly he moved and kissed me. His hand was on my cheek, and then moved to behind my head, tightening in my hair. His lips pressed against mine harder, encouraging mine to respond. I did, leaning into it. His other hand moved to my hip and pushed me back onto the couch. I could feel him shift some of his weight on top of me, pushing me farther back into the cushions. This was different from the other times he had kissed me, this was freaking mind-blowing. He pulled his face back, biting my bottom lip lightly and tugging on it.

Dean shook his head, looking down at me, "This does not mean you are forgiven."

I couldn't conceal my smirk or my sarcasm, "Sure it doesn't"

"You are something else."

"You always say that."

"I always mean it." Dean didn't give me time to give a smart ass remark. He pulled my leg around his hip and continued kissing me. His hand slid up my hip and under the hem of my shirt. My lips stopped for a second, and he hesitated, I pulled his face against mine, encouraging him. His hand worked its way up my ribs, and his lips worked their way down my neck and over my collarbone. I didn't mean to but I moaned in response to him, and my back arched toward him. He chuckled and then moved back to my lips, his hand pushing my shirt up and right below my breast. '_Alright Jen. God hates a coward.'',_ I thought and I reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled up. Dean narrowed his shoulders and arched his back to make it easier for me to slip his t-shirt over his head. His bare chest was against my body and his hand moved behind my back, tightening, moving me closer. His hand slipped down again and pushed my jeans lower and his hand slipped into the back of my pants, squeezing my ass. I reached down and tried to unbutton his pants, Dean bent at the waist, trying to give me more room. But the second I succeeded and started to push his pants down, I heard the rumble of the Impala engine. Dean groaned, putting his forehead on my chest,

"Hold up a second." He said. We listened and only one door shut,

"Fuck." Dean said under his breath. He drug his nose and his stubble up my sternum and then kissed me quickly one more time. He got off the couch, pulled his pants up and slipped his shirt back on. I laid there for another second, reveling in the bliss and then I followed suit. Dean opened the door and yelled out at Sam, "What? I set you up with a gorgeous woman and you still can't get the job done?"

I heard Sam, "Shut up." He yelled back. Dean turned to me, "Wipe that grin off your face and c'mon."

I passed him heading for the room, and I whispered, "I'll wipe the grin off my face when you wipe that boner off your crotch."

Dean laughed, but I saw him look down and then shrug his shoulders. When we entered the room Sam was fumbling through some papers. Dean closed the door behind himself and turned to Sam, "So she just handed the providences over to you."

"Provenances." Sam corrected

"Provenances?" Dean said haughtily.

"Yes. We went back to her place, I got a copy of the papers..." I smacked Dean in the chest, "See I told you your brother still had it."

"Nothing happened," Sam said annoyed, "I got the provenances and left."

Dean looked confused, "You didn't have to con her or do any...special favors or anything like that?"

Sam rolled his eyes, "Dean, would you get your mind out of the gutter, please?"

"They hold a room for him there." I said.

Dean laughed and began sharpening a knife, "You know when this whole thing's done, we could stick around for a little bit."

Sam looked up from the papers, "Why?"

"So you could take her out again. It's obvious you're into her, even I could see that." I took the papers off of Sam, this was definitely a bro to bro moment. I went halfway through the stack before I saw it. I snapped my fingers, "Hey guys, I got it."

Sam and Dean came over and I turned so they could see the pages too, Dean read out loud at what I pointed at, "Portrait of Isaiah Merchant's family, painted 1910."

"It is the same as the names in your dad's journal. It is that creepy ass painting that was at the auction house."

Sam picked up the journal to double check me and read, "First purchased in 1912, Peter Simms. Peter Simms murdered 1912. Same thing in 1945. Oh, same thing in 1970."

I saw the storage notice, "Right here, it was stored until last month for a charity auction where the Telescas bought it."

"So is it haunted or cursed?" Sam asked.

Dean got up, "Either way, it's toast."

* * *

We waited until well after midnight before we pulled out of the hotel lot and drove to the auction house. I was riding shotgun, we drove past it slowly. It was really foggy out. Dean spoke as we passed the auction house, "I'm gonna park 'bout a half mile down the road."

I looked at the auction house, "Minimal outer security, a few cameras. Bad thing is that that is a long run in the open with decent lighting. If I remember right from when we went in the doors are alarm wired and there are four levels of simple motion sensors."

Dean parked the car up the road. I grabbed my gun and slipped it into my pants, Sam grabbed a small thing of lighting fluid, Dean grabbed a canister of salt. We were all wearing dark gloves and dark clothes. Dean started trotting up the road first. Sam and I followed closely behind. When we reached the fence he paused, it was ten foot chain link. I took a step back and got a running start at it and made it part way up and scaled the rest of the way, dropping over the other side.

"Come on!" I hissed. Dean, followed by Sam came over the fence. I sprinted all the way to the main building, avoiding the few cameras that I saw. I saw the alarm box and pointed to it. Sam broke it open and disarmed it. That would take care of the doors at least.

"Go ahead." Sam said.

I squatted in front of the door and picked the lock. These industrial ones were always pretty easy because the pins slid well. I heard the last click and turned the handle. Dean walked in first, flashlight up.

"The first motion sensor is about ten yards from the door, I think the box is to your left." Sure enough it was, Dean pried the box open and disarmed the motion sensors as well. I went in and shone my flashlight around, looking for that freaking painting.

"Over here." Sam called. Dean jogged over and I followed, Dean pulled out his switchblade and cut the painting from the frame. We left, the whole thing taking less than five minutes. Running back across the lot, we all hit the fence at a full sprint. Once on the outside of the fence, we ducked into an empty storage lot. Dean laid out the painting, sprinkling it with salt. Sam sprayed lighter fluid on it. I took some matches out of my pocket, swiped them and let the creepy ass thing on fire, watching it burn to ash.

Dean grunted, "Ugly ass thing. If you ask me we're doing the art world a favor. "

* * *

The next morning we were eating breakfast in the boy's room. I had taken the Impala and gotten coffee and a ton of breakfast sandwiches from the local fast food chain. I was chowing down on a bacon, egg and cheese, chugging coffee when Dean rushed out of the bathroom, "We got a problem - I can't find my wallet."

Sam looked up, "How is that my problem?"

"Cause I think I dropped it in the warehouse last night."

I swallowed my food, "You're kidding, right?"

"No. It's got my prints, my ID, well my fake ID anyway. We gotta get it before someone else finds it. Come on." We drove to the auction house. Luckily it was an open viewing of pieces for the day. We began looking everywhere, hurrying. Sam was especially frustrated.

"How do you lose your wallet, Dean?", Dean just threw his hands in the air and kept searching. I looked up and saw Sarah approaching Sam.

"Hey guys!" She said. They both spun around and tried to act nonchalant. Sam recovered, "Sarah! Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"Ahh, we... we are leaving town and, you know, we came to say goodbye."

Dean elbowed him, " What are you talking about Sam, we're sticking around for at least another day or two."

Dean pulled out his wallet and showed Sam, sly ass, I should have known,"Oh, Sam. By the way. I'm gonna go ahead and give you that twenty I owe you. I always forget, you know."

Sam looked at him in disbelief, and then looked over at me accusingly. I shrugged my shoulders.

Dean held out the cash to Sam, "There you go."

Sam snatched the cash and glared at Dean, "Well I'll leave you two crazy kids alone, I gotta go do something...somewhere. Jen, you coming?"

"Yep." We walked out and sat on the hood of the car.

"Dean, you are a little shit. Sam is going to kill you."

"He will thank me later." He said suggestively.

"I should have known you wouldn't drop that damn wallet."

"Had you going."

"Ass. You could have let me know."

"Nah, it was more fun this way."

* * *

Sam and Sarah stood there awkwardly. Sam finally broke the silence, " So..."

"I had a good time last night." Sarah blurted.

"Yeah, yeah. I did too."

"Maybe we should do it again sometime."

Sam shoved his hands in his pockets, "You know. I'd love to, I really would, but Dean, he was just screwing around. We really are taking off today."

"Oh. Oh. Ah that's too bad."

Then Sam saw two workers walking by with a painting. He did a double take, "Oh my God!"

It was THE painting, totally intact without so much as a scratch. Sarah jumped around, looking, "What?"

"The...that painting...looks so good!"

"If you can call that monstrosity good, then...yeah, I guess."

"So...what do you know about that painting?"Sam asked..

"Not much - just that it creeps me out. We sold it to the Telescas at a charity auction the night they were murdered."

Sam raised his voice, "Yeah, and now you're just going to sell it again?"

"As much as my Dad wants to, no, I won't let him. I think it'd be in bad taste."

"Good. Yeah. You know what? Don't. Don't. Make sure you don't, okay?"

Sarah was really confused, "Why? Don't tell me you're interested in that?"

Sam was flustered and back tracking, "No. No, God, no. Not in buying it, no. You know what, I gotta go, I gotta take care of something. But umm, I will call you back...I will call you, I'll see you later."

"Wait, so you're...not leaving tonight?"

"No-o-o, I guess not. I'll see ya." Sam ran out the door to the car. Jen and Dean were really confused when he jumped into the car panicking .

Jen laughed, "What did she do, threaten to take you on another date? Was it to the movies this time?"

Sam just shook his head, "That-that painting was there. Totally fine."

"What?" Jen asked.

Sam continued to shake his head, "I don't understand, we burned the damn thing."

Dean recovered, "Yeah, thank you Captain Obvious. All right, we just need to figure out another way to get rid of it. Any ideas?"

"Okay, all right. Well, um, in almost all the lore about haunted paintings it's always the painting's subject that haunts 'em."

Jen nodded, "So we just need to get all the information on that creepy-ass family in that creepy freaking painting."

"Where to?" Dean asked

* * *

The bell on the door rung as we entered a second hand book shop. An old man was behind the counter, "What can I do for you three today?"

Sam went up to the counter. I immediately got distracted. There was a whole case of books on war history and guns.

"We were told you have the best collection of local history." Sam said to the man.

"You were told right young man."

"Well me and my friends were wondering what you had on the Isaiah Merchant family?"

"If you have some time I can look." Sam nodded at the man, "Thank you sir."

I was still sifting through the books on the shelf. There was one on 19th century guns and the evolution of the revolver. I pulled it out and Dean snatched it out of my hands, "Hey!"

"Snooze you lose." He started flipping through the book and stopped at the page about Colt's first try at the revolver. I nodded at the book, "Colt's big equalizer."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, what was that west saying?"

"God didn't make all men equal, Samuel Colt did." I replied. The little old man came bustling back to the front with an armful of papers,

"You said the Isaiah Merchant family right?"

"Yep." I replied. He laid out everything he had on a table

"I dug up every scrap of local history I could find. So are you guys crime buffs?"

Dean nodded, "Kinda. Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well..."

He held up this paper from April 1912, I looked as he flipped through the pages, the front headline was about the sinking of the Titanic. He finally found the article he was looking for,

_'Father Slaughters Family, Kills Himself'. _I sighed and looked over at the boys, "That sounds like what we are looking for."

Sam furrowed his brow, "The whole family was killed?"

The guy got all serious, "It seems this Isaiah, he slits his kids' throats, then his wife, then himself. Now he was a barber by trade. Used a straight razor."

I asked the obvious, "Why did he kill them?"

The man cleared his throat, "Let's look. Ahh... _'People who knew him describe Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament. Controlled his family with an iron fist. Wife, uh, two sons, adopted daughter_...'Yeah yeah yeah..._'There were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave_." Which of course you know in that day and age, um ...so instead, old man Isaiah'...well he gave them all a shave."

He drew his hand across his throat and made gurgling noises and laughed, I chuckled and Dean laughed. Sam turned, bitchfacing us all and Dean and I stop, looking away from him. Dean pointed to the stack, "Does it say what happened to the bodies?"

"Just that they were all cremated."

"Anything else?" Sam encouraged.

"Yeah. Actually I found a picture of the family. It's right here... somewhere. Right - here it is" Right in front of us was a picture of that damn painting.

"Could we get a copy of all this" Sam asked.

"Sure." We were outta there fifteen minutes later with all the information the old guy had on the Merchants. I kept looking at that damn picture, something was gnawing at me about it. Dean drove the car up to the motel and we were back to square one on leads. I sat down at the table, putting my feet up on it and crossing my ankles.

"Hey guys, something is funky about this picture. If I was used to crazy shit, and I am, I would say the two paintings are different." I slid the picture over to Sam who studied it for a moment.

"You know, you're right. The painting at the auction house, Dad is looking down. Painting here, Dad's looking out."

Dean popped open a beer and took the chair opposite of me, "All right, so you think that Daddy dearest is trapped in the painting and is handing out Columbian neckties like he did with his family?"

I shrugged, "That seems like a definite possibility. But if his bones are already gone and we can't destroy the painting, how are we gonna stop him?"

Dean sighed, "All right, well, if Isaiah's position changed then maybe some other things in the painting changed as well. You know it could give us some clues."

Sam made a face "What, like a Da Vinci Code deal?"

Dean gave Sam a blank look, " Don't...know. uhh...I'm still waiting for the movie on that one. Anyway, we gotta get back in and see that painting."

I looked at the picture again, "I'm pretty sure the background is different. I thought it was an old building in the picture frame before. Here it is a forest. "

Dean finished his beer and moved to the bed, dropping down onto his back and crossing his arms across his chest.

"I know one way we can get back in." He started, "And it would give Sammy some more time to crush on his girlfriend."

"Dude. Enough already." Sam said haughtily .

"What?" Dean was defensive.

"What? Ever since we got here, you been trying to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, all right?"

"But Sam, " I said, "you like her don't you?"

Sam shot me a look that made me wish I had kept my mouth shut. I looked down at the papers.

"Well?" Dean pushed, sitting up. Sam raised his arms, aspirated. Dean continued, "All right, you like her, she likes you, you're both consenting adults... "

Sam was getting frustrated, his body language edgy, voice rising, "What's the point, Dean? We'll just leave. We always leave."

"Well I'm not talking about marriage, Sam. "

Sam was really agitated now,"You know, I don't get it. What do you care if I hook up?"

I couldn't help it, "Well then maybe you wouldn't be so bitchy." Sam shot me another look, "Sorry, you two continue, I will read this stuff."

Sam stared at me and huffed. Dean got up all the way, "You know, seriously Sam, this isn't about just hooking up, okay? I mean, I, I think that this Sarah girl could be good for you. "

Sam sighed and refused to answer, I looked between both of them. Dean was trying to gauge his little brothers reaction, when Sam gave him none, he spoke softly,"And... I don't mean any disrespect but I'm sure this is about Jessica, right? Now I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that... but... I would think that she would want you to be happy."

Sam started to well up. I felt bad for the guy, Dean had filled me in for the most part about Sam's girlfriend dying the same way their mother did, and I couldn't even imagine. Sam gave a half smile, "Yeah I know she would. Yeah you're right. Part of this is about Jessica. But not the main part..."

Dean looked concerned, "What's it about?"

Sam refused to answer.

"Not to be the party crasher over here," I smiled awkwardly, "but, we still gotta see that creepy painting. So, Sam you still need to call Sarah."

Dean laid back down and when Sam wasn't looking, winked at me. I just shook my head. Sam sighed and picked up his phone, I could only hear his side of the conversation, "Sarah, hey, it's Sam...Hey, hi... Good. Good, yeah. Umm. What about you?"

Dean turned his head to watch Sam who was still stumbling, "Yeah good, good, really good."

"Smooth." Dean whispered and Sam just waved him off.

"So, ah, so listen. We, were...uh...thinking that maybe we'd like to come back in and look at the painting again. I ..."

Dean shook his head at the '_we'_ part and shut his eyes again. I walked over and snagged a beer, popping the top off. Dean sat half up and mouthed, '_what the hell?_' at me. I just flipped him off and he smiled. Sam was still talking, "I think maybe we are interested in buying it...What!?"

Sam's tone changed so dramatically that Dean bolted upright and I stiffened. This was going to be shitty ass news. And oh it was, "Who'd you sell it to?...Sarah I need an address right now."

It was always something. Sam was still talking as we ran out the door. Dean gunned the engine as soon as we were all in.

* * *

In record time we were pulling in front of this really nice house in an upscale neighborhood. It was pitch black. We all jumped out and I noticed the extra car parked out front. Shit, Sarah stepped out of it and ran towards Sam, "Sam what's happening?"

Me and Dean hightailed it past her. I heard Sam, "I told you, you shouldn't have come."

I started pounding on the door, "Anyone home?"

When there was no response Dean banged his hand against it a few more times, Sarah and Sam were now right behind us, and she was terrified, "You said Evelyn might be in danger, what sort of danger?"

Dean looked up and down the door, it was an old solid oak, he looked over at me, "I can't knock this sucker down."

I bent down and started trying to pick the lock, while I was scraping it Sam banged on the window, I heard Sarah speak up again, "What are you guys, burglars?"

Sam returned, "I wish it was that simple. Look you really should wait in the car. It's for your own good."

"Got it!" I stood back up and Dean pushed the door open. We quickly went inside, searching rooms. I heard an unfamiliar footstep and pulled my gun, swinging around. Facing me was a horrified Sarah. I tipped my gun back, "Sorry. Habit."

Evelyn!" I hear Dean yell.

"Over here." Sam called. Dammit. I entered the lounge followed by Sarah. Evelyn was sitting, slouched in a chair. There was blood on the front of her shirt.

"Evelyn? It's Sarah Blake...Are you all right?"

Sarah reached to touch Evelyn's shoulder, Sam reached and tried to grab her, "Sarah don't. Sarah!"

When her hand collided with Evelyn, the head rolled back revealing a severed throat. Sarah backed into Sam screaming, "Oh my God. Oh My God!"

Sam put his arm around her and corralled her out of the room. Just as she was leaving, the father in the picture moved, looking to the daughter. Dean looked over at me, I just bit my tongue and made a face.

"So who is calling this in?"

"It is definitely not our week Jen." Dean said as he headed out. When we walked outside Sam was already in the car and Sarah was in hers on the phone. I took it as a clear cut sign we were meant to leave. Dean seemed to agree cause he jumped into the driver's seat and revved the engine, driving us back to the motel.

* * *

It was the next morning and we were sitting in the motel room. Dean had Sam's laptop open and

was apparently '_surfing the web_' which I am pretty sure is code for watching porn. Sam had been pacing nervously and I was just looking through the clippings again while listening to the TV. I jumped at the loud knock on the door. Sam opened it and Sarah stormed past him and into the room.

"Well come on in", I said under my breath setting the papers down, Dean heard me and smirked. Sam turned to her, "Hey. You alright?"

"No, actually, I just lied to the cops and told them I went to Evelyn's, alone, and found her like that."

Sam let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, I'm about to call them right back if you don't tell me what the hell's going on. Who's killing these people?"

Sam looked to Dean who cocked an eyebrow and then at me who shrugged. I know, great moral support.

"What." Sam stated to Sarah, hesitantly .

"What?" She clearly thought he was mocking her

"It's not 'who'. It's 'what' is killing those people." Sam said slowly. She looked at him like he was insane. Sam sighed, " Sarah, you saw that painting move."

"No...no I was...I was seeing things. It's impossible."

"Yeah...well... welcome to the world we live in." I replied. Sam touched Sarah's shoulder, "Sarah, I know this sounds crazy...but we think that that painting is haunted."

Sarah started sniggering and tearing up at the same time, "You're joking."

She looked between all of us. We just stared back at her, "You're not joking. God, the guys I go out with."

Sam replied to her "Sarah, think about it. Evelyn, the Telesca's, they both had the painting. And there have been others before that. Wherever this thing goes people die. And we're just trying to stop it. And that's the truth."

Sarah took a deep breath, "Then I guess you'd better show me. I'm coming with you."

Sam was startled, "What? No. Sarah no, you should just go home. This stuff can get dangerous and...and I don't want you to get hurt."

I got up, "No offense but this isn't amature hour, this shit gets serious."

"Look, you guys are probably crazy, but if you're right about this? Well me and my Dad sold that painting that mighta got these people killed. Look I'm not saying I'm not scared because I am scared as hell but...I'm not going to run and hide either."

She turned and walked right to the door, " So are we going or what?"

"Sam, " Dean pointed at where Sarah just was, "Marry that girl."

I laughed and Sam just ignored him. We walked out to the car again, "Hey Sam, you get back seat with your girlfriend."

He gave me a nasty look, "She isn't my girlfriend."

* * *

They arrived back at Evelyn's house. Jen and Dean walked right up to the door, Sam trailed, keeping an eye on Sarah to make sure she didn't freak. Dean started picking the lock and Jen pulled out her switchblade and cut through the _'sealed crime scene'_ sticker. Sarah cleared her throat, "Ahhh... isn't this a crime scene?"

Dean shrugged, "You've already lied to the cops. What's another infraction?"

They all walked inside and to the painting. Sam lifted it off the wall and Jen pulled out the copy they had gotten from that second hand bookstore.

"Not to state the obvious...Aren't you worried that it's...gonna kill us?" Sarah asked. Jen shook her head and as she handed Dean the photo, started to speak, "It seems to like to give out Columbian neckties at night. As long as the sun is up, we should be okay. Well at least theoretically. I guess we will find out. "

Sarah scoffed, "Well aren't you a bucket of sunshine and rainbows?"

Jen smirked, "I give it my best shot."

"Hey guys, " Dean pointed, "check it out. The razor, it's closed in this one but it's open in that one."

Sarah looked, "What are you guys looking for?"

Dean answered, "Well if the spirit's changing aspects of the painting then it's doing so for a reason."

"I was right," Jen stated, pointing, "The painting in the painting is different. This one looks like a crypt or a mausoleum."

Dean looked around and grabbed a thick glass ashtray. Holding it up to the paper, he used it as a magnifying glass. Sure enough the inscription read 'Merchant'. He handed Jen the ashtray and she looked.

"We all up for a road trip?" Jen asked.

* * *

Five hours later I got out of the car at yet another cemetery. All of us started wandering through the headstone. I was starting to think this ghost was full of it. Dean must have been thinking the same thing because he said, "This is the third boneyard we've checked. I think this ghost is jerking us around."

I heard Sarah talking to Sam,"So this is what you three do for a living?"

Sam chuckled, "Not exactly. We don't get paid."

She stopped for a moment, "Well, Mazel tov."

I started up a small hill, once at the top I could see down into the a little hollow, "Guys! Over here."

Down the hill there was a mausoleum that looked like the one from the painting. Once we got there Dean broke the lock. On the inside there were cobwebs, lots and lots of cobwebs.

"Uck." Dean said as some fell in his face. I shone a flashlight on the wall. There were four nameplates, with four urns and four glass boxes. In each of the boxes was a different item, one of them was a doll.

"I lied before guys, " I pointed, "The painting is now officially the second creepiest thing I have ever seen."

Sam came over and looked, "It was a... sort of tradition at the time. Whenever a child died sometimes they'd preserve the kid's favorite toy in a glass case, put it next to the headstone or crypt."

As the wind blew in Dean pointed, "Notice anything strange here?"

Sarah replied first, "Ah ... where do I start?"

Sam sniggered, I saw what Dean meant, "There are only four urns."

Dean half smiled, "Yahtzee. Mom and the three kids. Daddy dearest isn't here."

Sam nodded, "So where the hell is he?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, hesitating , "There is one way we can find out."

* * *

"So Jen?," Dean said from the front seat, "How about you and me go get this job done?"

He winked, and then raised his eyebrows. He was still trying to give Sam alone time with Sarah. I got out and me and him walked up to the county office building, "You know, Sam is going to catch onto your little game and then kill you."

Dean turned to me and continued to walk backwards raising his hands, "I can't help it that I am the master."

I pulled the handle on the door and he followed me in. Behind the front desk there was a man in his early thirties. Dean whispered in my ear over my shoulder.

"You're up." And he shoved me forward, I flipped him off behind my back. I pulled my shirt down and pushed back my hair.

"Hi." The man looked up at me and smiled politely, "What can I do for you miss?"

"I was wondering, if it isn't a bother, to see the county death certificates."

He reached under the desk, "Fill out the form, we could probably get you in by the middle of next week."

Shit, I looked back at Dean. He just held his hands up to his chest and pushed up nonexistent boobs.

"Listen... " I read his nametag, "Tim, I'm only in town until tomorrow morning and I am doing some research, and this would really help for my dissertation."

"Ma'am there is nothing I can do."

"Oh, well it was worth a shot." I started to walk off and then I turned, "Would you like to get a drink tonight?"

The guy was totally shocked, "Umm...sure."

I walked back over to the desk, reached over and grabbed a sheet of paper. I wrote down _Carrie_ and a fake number. The guy leaned forward, "At the risk of sounding like an ass, what about macho over there?"

"Danny?" I looked back, feigning surprise, laughing, "He bats for the other team, if you catch my drift."

"Oh...Oh"

"See you Tim." I turned again, walking.

"Hey Carrie!" Hook, line and sinker. Every damn time. I smiled a devilish grin before I turned, "Yes?"

"How about I see what I can do, getting you into the records. I'm really not supposed to but I could give you ten minutes."

I bounced up with a smile, "That would be fantastic." I reached down and touched his arm for good measure.

* * *

When Dean and Jen went into the county office, Sam and Sarah sat on a nearby wall, waiting, "So what exactly is your brother and Jen doing in there?"

"Searching county death certificates trying to find out what happened to Isaiah's body."

"How'd they even get in the door?"

Sam smiled, "Lying and subterfuge mostly. Though Jen and my brother are a little rough around the edges, they are very good at manipulating people."

Sarah looked over, and Sam got uncomfortable, changing the subject "You have a...uh...you have an eyelash on your right...no...uh...you know wha - t"

Sarah keep trying to wipe it off but had no idea where it was, Sam pointed at her cheek, "Do you mind if I - get it?"

"No." Sam grabs it between two fingers and then holds it out, "Okay, I got it. Make a wish."

Sarah laughs at first, but then concentrates and blows it away. There is a silence between them before she speaks again, "Sam, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I don't mean to be forward, but a girl could wait here forever. Is there something, here, between us? Or am I delusional?"

Sam looked at his feet and smiled, "You're not delusional."

Sarah nodded slowly, "But there's a but coming."

"But... I don't think this would be a good idea."

She furrows her brow "Can I ask why?"

Sam stopped smiling, "'Cause I like you."

"Wait. You lost me."

Both of them laughed and then Sam thought. It was hard for him to explain, "Look, it's hard to explain. Ah-It's just when people are around me - I don't know, they get hurt."

"What do you mean?" Sarah probed.

"I mean like physically hurt. With what me and my brother do, it's... Sarah, I had a girlfriend. And she died. And my Mom died too. I don't know, it's like, it's like I'm cursed or something. Like death just follows me around. Look, I'm not scared of much, but if I let myself have feelings for anybody... "

Sarah finally understood, "You're scared they'd get hurt too. That's very sweet. And very archaic."

She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked over at her, "Sorry?"

"Look I'm a big girl Sam, it's not your job to make decisions for me. There's always a chance of getting hurt."

Sam started to get defensive, "I'm not talking about a broken heart and a tub of Haagen Dazs. I'm talking about life and death."

Sarah shrugged, "And tomorrow I could get hit by a bus. That's what life is. Look, I know losing somebody you love - it's terrible. You shut yourself off. Believe me, I know. But when you shut out pain, you shut out everything else too."

"Sarah, you don't understand. The pain that I went through... I can't go through it again. I can't. "

He trailed off. Dean and Jen suddenly appeared. They looked between each other and Jen spoke, "Are we interrupting something?"

Sarah and Sam spoke over each other, "Nope." and "Not at all."

Jen nodded skeptically, "Sure thing."

Sam recovered, "What'd you guys get?"

Dean handed Sam a sheet of paper, "Paydirt. Apparently the surviving relatives of the Merchant family were so ashamed of Isaiah that they didn't want him interred with the rest of the family. So, they handed him over to the county, the county gave him a pauper's funeral. Economy style. Turns out he wasn't cremated; he was buried in a pine box. "

Sam got hopeful, "So there are bones to burn."

Jen nodded, smiling, "There are bones to burn."

"Tell me you guys know where." Sam got up.

"Well Jen here had to do some fancy footwork to get it, but we know where...Speaking of, what is that poor guy gonna do when he finds out that number is not to a co-ed dissertation writer?"

Jen gave Dean a bitchface. "Hopefully we aren't around long enough to find out."

* * *

It was dusk when the four of them snuck into a graveyard that was pretty far out in the country. Jen and Dean each carried a shovel and held flashlights, looking at headstones. Sam carried a container of salt and a can of gasoline.

"Hey!" Dean yelled. He was standing in front of an grave marked only by a number. "This should be it."

He took the shovel and struck the ground beginning to dig near the head. Jen plowed her shovel into the ground, about ten feet back. Sam and Sarah stood there watching as the other two worked quickly, holding flashlights so that they could see. When Jen and Dean were shoulder deep in the grave Sarah spoke, "You guys seem to be uncomfortably comfortable with this."

Sam put a hand in his pocket, and uncomfortably responded, "Well, ah, this isn't exactly the first grave we've dug. Still think I'm a catch?"

Sarah laughed and they heard Jen yell up from the hole, "Sam, I don't know where you are getting this 'we' shit at right now. I know it is awful hard holding that flashlight up, but..."

"Hey, I'm supervising." Dean and Jen laughed. Awhile later the grave was about five inches over Jen's head, and they finally heard something solid under the shovel.

"Think I've got something." Dean said. And then he cracked through the pine box and revealed the body inside.

"Yummy." Jen said dryly. "Sam! How about you make yourself useful and help me out."

Sam reached down a hand that Jen took and he pulled her so her shoulders were level with the edge. She swung a leg up and climbed out. Dean was tall enough that he swung out. Sam started shaking salt on the body and Jen poured the gasoline on top. Dean struck a book of matches and spoke,

"You've been a real pain in the ass Isaiah. Good riddance." He tossed the match in and they all stood there and watched the body burn to nothing.

* * *

Dean pulled the car up to Evelyn's house. Sam jumped out of the backseat, "Keep the motor running. "

"I thought the painting was harmless now?" Sarah replied

Sam started walking to the house, "Better safe than sorry. We're gonna bury the sucker. "

Sarah got out of the back on the opposite side, "I'm going with you."

Sam turned, "You sure?"

"Yeah." She said decisively . Me and Dean looked at each other and then back between the two of them Dean called to Sam, "Hey! hey hey. We'll stay here, you go make your move."

Sam rolled his eyes and scoffed, walking away again. "Sam. I'm serious!"

Sam and Sarah were walking up the stairs. There was a ballad playing on the radio so naturally Dean cranked it. I watched Sam grimace and turn to give us a '_what the fuck_' look. Dean shrugged his shoulders and then quickly pointed at me. I punched him in the stomach, Dean doubled over. And then I waved for Sam to go on. Sam motioned for us to cut the music. Dean sighed and turned it down. The last thing I saw was them disappearing into the house.

I looked over at Dean, "You realize that Sam won't do a damn thing, right?"

"Yeah, but the kid needs something to go right. Maybe we could kick them out at a bar or something."

"Sam would kill you."

"He can take his best shot." We both turned as the front door of the house slammed shut. Dean and I flew out of the car and up to the door, both of us banging on it.

"Get back." Dean says and when I move he starts trying to kick it in. I run to the windows and try to break them but the damn things are barred on the inside. I can hear Sam yelling by the door but it is really muffled, "Dean! Hey! Is that you?"

"Sammy, you all right?" There was no answer. Dean was getting panicky, still trying to break in the door. Then his phone rang, he flipped it out on speaker phone and ask, "Tell me you slammed the front door."

"_Nope, it wasn't me. I think it was the little girl."_

"Girl? What girl?"

"_Yeah she's out of the painting. I think it might've been her all along."_

Oh shit. I answered this time, "The dad was looking down at her, he was trying to warn us about her."

Sam interrupted me, "_Hey hey hey, let's recap later all right? Just get us out of here."_

Dean was frustrated, "Well I'm trying to pick the lock, the door won't budge."

"_Well, knock it down_." Sam was yelling now. I grabbed the phone off Dean, "Alright genius, why don't you wait while we grab the battering ram that I keep shoved up my ass.

"_Jen, the damn thing is coming."_

Dean snatched the phone back, "Well you're just gonna have to hold it off until I figure something out. Get some salt or iron. Stay on the phone, we are going to see if we can find a way in."

I nod and take off around to the back. This lady must have been super paranoid because every single window was reinforced and all the doors were solid oak. Plus with that spirit running around, there was gonna be no way in until she let us in. I found a place where I could climb up to the second level. I pulled my way up but those windows were barred as well. Son of a bitch. I ran back around to Dean.

"Dean! There is no way in. This lady was batshit because everything is locked down."

I could hear yelling over the phone and a small scream. Dean got panicky again, "Sammy, you okay?"

"_Yeah, for now."_

"How we gonna waste her?"

"_I don't know, she was already cremated. There's nothing left to burn."_

I spoke to Dean, "Then how's she still kickin' and killing people?

I heard Sam reply, "_There must be something else."_

Then there were more mumbles over the phone. I could hear chirps of Sarah's voice and Sam mumbling because he was far away. Dean kept looking at me, both of us were trying to think of something. Then Sam spoke again,

"_Dean, Sarah said the doll might have the kid's real hair. Human remains, same as bones."_

I grabbed Dean's arm, "The Mausoleum!"

Dean and I sprinted to the car and we were racing down residential streets at over a hundred miles per hour. The car skidded onto the highway and never went below one-twenty. I kept the phone open so we knew what was happening, all I could hear was the static-y silence. When we reached the graveyard Dean didn't stop at the gates he just drove the Impala through them. The car hit a few headstones and caught air as it pulled up to the mausoleum. Suddenly there are screams over the phone. Dean and I run inside, he starts to pound at the glass container with his elbow. I reach behind me and grab my gun, standing beside him. I pull up the sight pattern as I hear more screaming over the phone, "Dean! Move your ass!"

Dean looks at me, surprised. He backs away and I put my face down in my arm to protect my face and fire a shot. The glass crack and I slam the butt of the gun into it. I reach in and grab the doll. Dean starts flicking his lighter, the wind picks up.

"C'mon! C'mon!" Dean keeps yelling at the lighter. Finally the damn thing caught and he held it under the hair. It started to smoke and then burn away. It really smelt rank and we both coughed. I dropped the doll as the fire got close to my hands. We watch it burn, I realized I dropped the phone in the corner. I picked it up and tossed it to Dean.

"Sam, you good?"

There was a hesitation, "_Not bad."_

"You guys bury that damn painting out back and then hang tight."

Dean looked at me and started breathing normally again. I started laughing hysterically,

"What?" Dean asked.

"Ah, " I stopped, "Just another day at work."

Dean let out a single laugh, "Alright smart ass, let's go get them"

We drove slowly back to the house. When we arrived Sam and Sarah were sitting on the front steps, banged up and bruised, but in one piece. They climbed into the car and Sarah directed Dean to her place. When she got out Sam got out as well, "You guys can go back to the motel, I will catch a ride back. I'm gonna make sure she's okay."

Dean raised his eyebrows suggestively , "Sure you are."

Sam just gave him a dirty look and walked away, following Sarah into her house. By the time me and Dean got back to the motel it was well after two in the morning. I just followed him into his room and dropped down on his bed. Dean dropped down on the opposite side and flipped on the TV.

"Hell of a day." He said absentmindedly . I knew it was hard on him when Sam got into a situation that Dean couldn't control. It showed on his face as he stared blankly at the wall. I just let him be and kicked off my shoes and socks and laid back on the pillows. I was just going to stay there for a little bit, but I felt my eyelids droop and every time I fought it, they got heavier.

* * *

Sam walked into the room a little after five-thirty. He had spent a few hours at Sarah's and then stopped by the county office and did some before hours digging through adoption records, making sure this spirit was gone for good. What he saw before him didn't surprise him in the least. Jen and Dean were both fast asleep on Dean's bed. They were on opposite sides and looked like mirror images of each other; laying on their stomach, facing one another, with the middle of the bed in between them. Even though that wasn't exactly scandalous, what he saw next made Sam smile. Jen's hand was out a little from her body and Dean's hand reached the rest of the way and covered hers.

Sam had known there was something between them but hadn't said anything to Dean, other than that shit at the bar. He knew Dean had a 'relationship phobia' and was a self-proclaimed lifetime bachelor and ladies man. Sam had known months ago back in Hibbing that something had happened. When Dean had gone to stitch Jen up, she had blushed so hard and attempted to hide it, but couldn't. Dean had taken way too long on the stitches. Then in Wisconsin, he had seen them holding hands after him and Dean had fought and Jen had broken it up. Then last weekend in Boston, the walls weren't exactly sound proof. But Sam could care less that they were keeping it from him, because he knew one thing, Jen was good for Dean. She gave him something to look forward to, someone other than family to talk to, and someone to joke around and just have fun with. Jen was someone he was never gonna have to lie to.

So Sam went over to the coffee maker and started up some and flipped through the adoption records, shaking his head at what he saw. Finally about an hour later Jen was the first to stir. She looked around sleepily, first looking at Dean's hand, then up seeing Sam glance over. Jen retracted her hand quickly, hoping that he hadn't noticed. Sam acted like he hadn't. She reached over and shoved Dean, "Get your lazy ass up."

"I need my four hours."

Jen glanced over at the clock, "Good, those are up. Let's go."

She stumbled out of the room and back to hers. She got a shower and got dressed into some clean clothes. By the time she returned, Dean had done the same and there was a cup of coffee waiting for her.

"So did you strike out again last night?" She asked Sam.

"We just talked for awhile."

Dean pushed him playfully, "Why does my little bro have to be such a gentleman. It makes for shitty stories."

Sam just ignored him, "I was just telling Dean that I found this."

He pushed the papers over to Jen and she read them, "Holy shit."

"Yep." Dean said and then turned to Sam, "You wanna say bye to your girlfriend?"

* * *

A little bit later we were at the auction house, giving Sam one last shot with Sarah. Sam held out the papers that he had showed me and Dean started talking, "The Merchant's adopted daughter Melanie. Know why she was up for adoption? 'Cause her real family was murdered in their beds."

Sarah looked astonished, "She killed them?"

I nodded, "Yep. Who is gonna suspect a sweet little girl like that. So she went and killed Isaiah and his family. The old man took the blame and his spirit was trying to warn people by changing the painting ever since."

Sarah turned to Sam, "Why?"

Sam thought for a moment, "Killing others? Killing herself? Some people are just born tortured. So when they die, their spirits are just as dark."

Dean shook his head, "Maybe. I don't really care. It's over, we move on."

"Ahh... I guess this means you're leaving." Sarah said. Dean looked from Sam to Sarah, and Sam stared down Dean. I got the message but clearly Dean wasn't. I elbowed him in the stomach, "We will go wait in the car. Bye."

Dean realized, "Oh, yeah, see you Sarah."

We walked over to the Impala, Dean was grumbling, "I'm the one that burned the doll, destroyed the spirit, but don't thank me or anything."

"Thank you Dean." I said sarcastically.

"You know what I meant"

"I also think you missed a 'we' in there."

We were sitting on the hood of the Impala now, "Fine then. We burned the doll. We destroyed the spirit. But with my lighter."

"You were gettin' your ass beat by a pane of glass."

Dean chuckled, "I would have gotten it eventually."

"S-ure"

He shoved me off the hood and I caught myself.

"Hey! That was uncalled for." I complained.

"S-ure." Dean replied, mocking me. I started laughing. I lean against the car and look up in time to see Sarah hold the door for Sam. She looks sad as Sam turns and she closes the door. Dean just shook his head and went to get into the car. I do the same, but turn when I hear a knock on the door. Sam has turned around and the door opened. Sam kissed Sarah.

Dean opens the driver's door, smiling "That's my boy."

I climb into the back and lean back into the seat. Dean watches his brother, but reaches behind him and grabs my knee. I see his eyes looking at me in the rearview. I smile and he smiles back.


	13. Dead Man's Blood

It had been almost two weeks since New York. We were sitting in a cafe in Nebraska. I was flipping through newspapers from surrounding states, Dean was looking through local newspapers and Sam was searching for any leads on his computer. I folded my newspaper and tossed onto the table,

"Two freaking weeks. Two weeks and nothing freaky happens? What is this world coming too?"

Dean laid his paper down and shrugged, "I don't have a decent lead in the state. Sam?"

"Well, I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota. Here. A woman in Iowa fell 10,000 feet from an airplane and survived."

Dean took a sip of coffee, "Sounds more like _'That's Incredible'_ than, uh, _'Twilight Zone'_."

Sam shrugged and nodded.

I was frusturated, crazy shit did not just stop happening, "Are either of you as bothered by the fact that it has been radio silence for this long? Not to bitch, but not working kinda sucks"

Dean playfully put his arm around my shoulder, "Aw Jen, it is so cute when you get all homicidal."

"Ass. I'm not homicidal , I just don't like when stuff doesn't work the way we know it works. Crazy shit does not stop being crazy."

I pushed him back over. I knew he was joking around, but two weeks without a decent shower or a bed was starting to get to me. Honestly, I loved being with the boys, but spending this much time with them was ridiculous. I just wanted to lay in a bed, clean like a human. I mean I have lived like a animal for weeks before but I just wanted to chill. But Sam was especially determined to find something and we wouldn't stop until he found something.

"You got anything else Sam?" I asked

"Ahh, man in Colorado, local man named Daniel Elkins, was found mauled in his home. "

Dean sat up straight, "Elkins? I know that name."

Sam ignored him, "Doesn't ring a bell."

Dean kept talking under his breath, " Elkins...Elkins...Elkins."

I just drank my coffee and listened to Sam give the rundown, "Sounds like the police don't know what to think. At first they said it was some sort of bear attack and now, they've found some signs of robbery."

Dean ignored him and pulled John's journal out of his jacket, "Guys, check this out."

He flipped the journal so that we could see the writing, I read outloud, ". _'D Elkins 970-555-0158'_ "

"You think it is the same guy?" I asked

Dean shrugged and nodded, "It's a Colorado area code. "

* * *

We cruised into Manning, Colorado later that night. By the time we made it to Elkins house is was after three in the morning. When we got out I stashed my gun in my pants.

"You really think you are gonna need that?" Dean asked.

"Dude, you're a hunter, but we are in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the woods. What do you think runs around at night?"

He shrugged, and then as if to illustrate my point a pack of wolves howled in the distance. Dean looked around but I saw him reach into the car and grab his gun as well. We walked up to the door and Sam bent down and picked the lock open, the door swung easily. The place was a total mess. Stuff was laying everywhere, it definitely looked like a robbery

"Looks like the maid didn't come today." Dean joked.

I kept looking around, everywhere there were signs of salt, warding symbols, charms, amulets. Though not obvious, they were there. I picked up a journal and started going through it.

Sam called from another room, "Hey, there's salt over here. Right beside the door.

Dean yelled back, "You mean protection against demon salt, or 'oops I spilled the popcorn' salt."

"It's clearly a ring."

"Guys..." I was still flipping through the journal, "This guy was definitely a player. You need to see some of this shit."

Dean came up behind me and looked over my shoulder, "That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's. "

"Yeah, well this one dates back to the early '60s. And there is some strange stuff in here. It might take me awhile to make heads or tails of it."

I kept flipping through it. The guy was a genius with this stuff, but he had transcended into madness. I closed it and walked into another room, flashilight drawn, Sam and Dean were kicking through papers. I looked out the window toward the valley, something moved quickly behind some trees. I wouldn't have noticed but the thing never reappeared . I drew the curtain.

There was a hole where the skylight had been shattered inward, there was blood everywhere, signs of a struggle. In the papers there was an old box that looked like it had cased an antique gun.

Sam spoke from a corner, "Whatever attacked him, it looks like there was more than one."

Dean liffted up some more papers, "Looks like he put up a hell of a fight too."

When Dean moved the light I saw indentations on the floor. Scratches, right below Dean's feet.

"Hey. Dean" He looked over and I shined the flashlight to his feet, he looked down, crouching to see it more clearly.

"You guys got something?" Sam came over.

Dean looked at the scratches absentmindedly, "I dunno. Some scratches on the floor."

I grabbbed a peice of blank paper on the floor and a pencil from the desk and handed it to Dean, he handed me his flashlight and put the paper over the marks, rubbing the pencil against it.

"Death throes maybe?" Sam said.

I shook my head, "Message. There are numbers."

Dean peeled up the paper, there was blood on the back. But where he had rubbed the pencil against the paper there were three letters and six digits.

"Look familiar?" Dean asked.

"The location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop." Sam replied.

Dean nodded, "Just the way Dad does it."

I pointed, "That drop would be in town with those letters."

Dean nodded, "Well lets go."

We walked back out to the car and I had a funny feeling in my gut, "Dean." I said under my breath. He turned and looked at me. I looked up and whispered

"We are being watched."

He became serious, "Get in the car. Sam , jump in the back."

Once we were in he turned to me, "How do you know?"

"I can feel it, plus I'm pretty sure I saw someone move in the woods."

He sat there for a moment, "Sam, you know the drill."

Sam got out of the car and started jogging to the house, Dean yelled out,

"Where you goin'?"

"I forgot something."

Dean waited until he was almost to the door and then nodded at me. I rolled down my window and we slipped out of it and into the woods. I pointed out and then to myself, Dean nodded and started backtracking , trying to cut off the thing's escape. I moved through the woods around the house silently. Quickly I came across a trail through the woods, definitely boot prints. I followed them, the person hadn't tried to cover their tracks and was not good through the woods. There were snapped twigs and branches, easy to follow, even in the dark. Eventually I was where I thought I had seen the movement. Sure enough there were signs of someone waiting, the prints were over each other. He had been shifting his weight, watching us. I looked up and I could see where I had pulled the curtain. I could see into the house in other places.

Suddenly there was a snap. I whipped around, kneeling, gun drawn.

"Shit, Jen, it is just me!" Dean was coming through a bunch of brambles and thorns. I uncocked the hammer.

"Sorry. Anything?"

Prints heading down the valley, whoever it was, they are long gone. They started hauling ass down the hill."

"Shit."

"Yeah." He pulled out his phone, "Sam...head back."

We walked directly back up to the car. Sam was sitting on the hood, "Anything?"

I shook my head, "He was watching us for awhile, there was only one set of prints through the woods."

Dean opened his door, "He hightailed it through the woods, probably when he figured out we were on to him."

Sam nodded and got in the car, "We just have to be careful. Watch our backs."

* * *

It was almost dawn when we made it to the post office. It was easy enough to find the box. I went in alone and put in the code, pulling out a single envelope. As I looked at the address my stomach dropped. Shit. I ran back out and hopped in the passenger seat.

"You guys want to see this." I tossed Dean the envelope.

"No way." He showed it to Sam. On the outside of the envelope were two letters, _'J.W.'_.

Sam looked at it for a moment, "'J.W.' You think? John Winchester?"

Dean shrugged, "I don't know. Should we open it?"

"Well it isn't exactly like your dad is the easiest person to find..." I said.

I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye, I pull and draw my gun. Dean is confused and looks terrified, thinking that I am drawing on him, but then hears the knock from the outside and about jumps out of his skin. The man outside smiles and puts his hands up, it is John Winchester.

Dean looks around, "Dad?"

John got into the backseat, Sam scooted over. I uncocked my gun and laid it on the seat.

"Dad, what are you doing here? Are you all right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I read the news about Daniel, I got here as fast as I could. I saw you three at his place."

I nodded, made sense, "It was you watching us."

John nodded, "And you are jumpy as hell. How did you know?"

"Saw you move, animals don't hide, they run."

"Smart."

"Why didn't you come in Dad?" Sam asked softly

"You know why. Because I had to make sure you weren't followed... by anyone or anything. Nice job of covering your tracks by the way."

Dean looked proud, "Yeah, well, we learned from the best."

Something was weird about this, "John? You came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?"

"Yeah. He was... he was a good man. He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting."

Sam looked confused, "Well you never mentioned him to us."

"We had a... we had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years."

He pointed at the envelope, " I should look at that." John opened it and read, " _'If you're reading this, I'm already dead'_... that son of a bitch."

Dean jumped at the anger in his dad's voice, I just sat calmly hoping that this wasn't going to get out of hand.

"What is it?" Dean asked meakly.

"He had it the whole time. "

"Dad, what?" Sam asked.

John was angry, "When you searched the place, did you, did you see a gun? An antique, a Colt revolver, did you see it?"

I shook my head, "There was an empty case on the floor, totally empty, bullets and everything."

"They have it." John said to himself, starting to focus on other things.

I could see on Dean's face that he was confused, "You mean whatever killed Elkins?" he asked.

John jumped out of the car, "We gotta pick up the trail."

Sam jumped out too, "Wait. You want us to come with you?"

"If Elkins was telling the truth, we gotta find this gun."

Sam was starting to yell, Dean was getting nervous, "The gun - why?"

"Because it's important, that's why." John snapped back.

"Dad, we don't even know what these things are yet." Sam said, aspirated .

John looked back in the car and pointed at me, "She does."

Dean looked over at me confused, I had an idea after looking at the journal but I hadn't heard of one being hunted since I started.

"Jen?" Dean spoke firmly.

I sighed, "When I was flipping through the journal, Elkins had a specialty. He hunted everything, but he really had a thing for vampires."

John nodded, "They were what Daniel Elkins killed best."

Dean scoffed, "Vampires? I thought there was no such thing."

Sam looked over at John, "You never even mentioned them, Dad."

John shrugged, "I thought they were extinct. I thought Elkins and - and others had wiped them out. I was wrong. Let's go get a room and figure this out."

* * *

John tailed us the entire way to the motel.

"Why didn't you say anything ?" Dean asked me.

"I wasn't sure. I haven't heard of an attack since I've been hunting. I heard about them, sure, but I never ran across one. I honestly didn't think there were any left."

Dean pulled into a motel on the outskirts of town. John jumped out of his truck and went into the office. The sun was just starting to peer over the horizon. John came over,

"Room twenty."

I smirked but Dean voiced it, "What about Jen?"

"The rooms have a couch and I don't think any of us are going to be getting a lot of sleep."

Fine then. I guess I wasn't going to get the break that I wanted. We entered the room with our crap, the décor was kinda dark but was okay for how bad the exterior looked. John started going through papers immediately ,

"Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them, and neither will a stake to the heart. But the bloodlust, that part's true. They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late."

I nodded, "You need to chop off the head, right?"

"Yep."

Dean looked at me, "How do you even know that?"

"Educated guess. Stuff has a hard time ripping you apart if they don't have a head."

John continued, "There haven't been any recent attacks that I can find near here so we are going to have to wait unil they hunt again to find them. We can't just walk around and check people's teeth."

I sat on the bed and kicked my shoes off, laying back. I still had Elkins' journal, I flipped through it. There was a ton of stuff about nests, how to cover your scent. Monsters I had never even heard of. John turned a police radio on. Sam went to the bathroom and started a shower. Dean sat down on the bed I was on and grabbed the journal out of my hands.

"Really?"

"That's for not telling me vampires are real."

"Fine then."

I just crossed my arms over my chest and dozed off.

* * *

"Dean, Sam, Jen! Let's go." I felt someone hit me in the leg.

I groaned.

"Mm-hmm." Dean groaned from beside me. He had fallen asleep reading the journal. I opened one eye and saw Sam sitting up on the other bed. John was grabbing stuff and heading for the door.

"C'mon, I picked up a police call."

"What happened?" Sam said, yawing.

"A couple called 911, found a body in the street. Cops got there and everyone was missing. It's the vampires. "

Sam stood up, "How do you know?"

John walked out the door, "Just follow me, ok?"

I rolled out of the bed and onto my feet, grabbing my coat and giving Dean a shove, he was still half asleep,

"Huh, vampires. Get's funnier every time I hear it."

I stumbled outside, it was still before noon, and it was chilly. I zipped my jacket up and heard Dean stumble out of the room after me. We got in the Impala and followed John to the crime scene. Once there John got out of his truck and turned to his boys,

"You guys stay here."

I stepped up, "Are you serious?"

He shot me a particuarly nasty look and walked off to the cops. This wasn't fair, me and the boys had hunted for months together without him and been fine. Hell, I hunted for years by myself and was good at the job. Sam thought the same thing I did because he got sulky,

"I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him."

Dean huffed, "Oh don't tell me it's already starting."

Sam looked offended, "What's starting?"

John turned and started heading back to us, "Guys, cool it. He is heading back." I said quietly.

Dean approached his dad, "What have you got?"

"It was them all right. Looks like they're heading west. We'll have to double back to get around that detour. "

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked.

"Sam..." Dean warned.

Sam turned on Dean and spoke sharply, "I just wanna know we're going in the right direction."

Great, you know, saving people, hunting things, the Winchester drama. John just walked off,

"We are. "

"How do you know?" Sam asked and was ignored.

John turned and handed something to Dean, "I found this."

I walked over and snatched it out of his hand, holding it up.

"It's a...a vampire fang." Dean said.

I shook my head, "Not with the way it is shaped. John? Are these retractable?"

I looked over and he nodded, "Not fangs, teeth. The second set decends when they attack."

John looked over at Sam, "Any more questions?"

Sam stayed silent and looked away, I felt bad for the guy.

John walked toward the cars, "All right, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight...Hey Dean why don't you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were going to ruin it."

Dean looked down at his car, forlorn. Sam gave Dean an 'I told you so' look to which Dean grimanced. That was it and I turned,

"Are you fucking serious John?"

He turned to me and I started walking toward him, "What did you say?"

"I asked if you were fucking serious? Dean takes better care of that car than he does of himself. That's his freaking baby."

John was getting pissed and I was in his face now, "Go get in the car Jen."

"You may get away with treating your sons like that. But you don't order me around."

"Get-in-the-car" He took a step toward me. I wasn't backing down. I remembered the tangle we had had in Chicago, I smirked. John looked like he was going to start swinging. I kept staring , daring him to with this many people around.

"Whoa, whoa...Jen?" Dean came up behind and started dragging me toward the Impala.

"Dad, we will follow you." He said over his shoulder and shoved me into the car, climbing in the front, Sam was driving.

"What the hell was that Jen?"

"He can't treat you two like that! I will not be treated like that." I crossed my arms and stared out the window.

"Just cool it..." Dean changed the subject, "That journal said that vampires nest in groups and bleed their victims dry over a few days. I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple."

Sam grumpily replied, "That's probably what Dad's thinking. Course it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks."

Dean sighed, "So it is starting...Now I got to worry about you too. It was bad enough Jen was trying to get him to swing..."

I looked up from the back, "You should have let me."

Dean ignored me, "Sam, we've been looking for Dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already?"

" No. Look, I'm happy he's ok, all right? And I'm happy that we're all working together again. "

"Well good."

"It's just the way he treats us, like we're children."

"Amen." I said dryly.

Dean exhaled sharply, "Oh God."

Sam was unable to help himself now, "He barks orders at us Dean, he expects us to follow 'em without question. He keeps us on some crap need-to-know deal."

"He does what he does for a reason."

"What reason?" Sam was yelling now.

"Our job! There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, all right? That's just the way the old man runs things. "

"Yeah well maybe that worked when we were kids but not anymore, all right. Not after everything you and I have been through, Dean. I mean, are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line, and letting him run the whole show?"

Dean swallowed, "If that's what it takes."

I laughed, unamused , "You are so full of shit, Dean. The three of us work together and it works because we tell each other what the hell is going on. We don't keep each other in the dark. You are a freaking leader Dean, I don't know why you let him push you like that."

"Thanks for the support Jen." Dean looked back at me.

I gave him an annoyed look, "Anytime."

We continued to drive for hours behind John. Little spats kept starting up between the three of us but nothing too major. Dean's phone rang,

"Yeah Dad. All right, got it." He hung up, "Pull off at the next exit. "

"Why?" Sam asked angrily.

"Cause Dad thinks we've got the vampire's trail."

Sam's voice began to raise, "How?"

"I don't know; he didn't say. "

Great, I thought, this was gonna end well. Then Sam gunned the engine, Dean braced against the door as Sam pulled the Impala infront of John's truck and then slammed the breaks. The car swerved sideways, forcing the truck to stop, Sam jumped out.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Oh crap. Here we go."

He climbed out, "Sam!"

I followed. I couldn't see Sam's face but John looked pissed as hell,

"What the hell was that?" John yelled.

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

"About everything. Where we going Dad. What's the big deal about this gun."

Dean grabbed his brother's shoulder, "Sammy, come on, we can Q and A after we kill all the vampires."

"Your brother's right, we don't have time for this." John said flatly, eyes blazing.

"Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous for us to be together. Now out of the blue you need our help. Now obviously something big is going down, and we wanna know what!"

It dawned on me and I spoke quietly, "It is the gun."

They all turned on me, "What?" I shrugged, " The only reason someone would want any gun that bad means it is special. Considering what drives you John, I would say it has something to do with that demon."

He turned fully toward me, "I said get back in the damn car."

Sam stepped infront of his father, "Yeah. And I said no."

Dean grabbed and shoved Sam with one hand and the back of my collar with the other pulling me to the car, " Ok you made your point tough guy. Look we're all tired, we can talk about this later. Sammy, I mean it, come on."

"This is why I left in the first place." Sam mumbled.

Shit, I knew that was a bad move.

John jumped back at Sam, "What'd you say?"

Sam swung around, "You heard me."

"Yeah. You left. Your brother and me, we needed you. You walked away, Sam."

"Sam.." Dean warned.

John got into Sam's face and was yelling, "You walked away!"

Dean and I got between them, pushing them apart.

"Stop it, both of you." Dean said.

"You're the one who said don't come back Dad, you closed that door not me. You were just pissed off that you couldn't control me anymore!"

I forced Sam back and Dean had ahold of his dad.

I looked between them, "You need to stop. That's enough."

John kept staring down Sam, Dean looked at him, "That means you too."

Sam put his hands up and walked to the Impala, slamming the door. John walked stiffly back to his truck, doing the same. Dean looked over at me,

"Terrific."

"Dean, it is going to be fine. They will cool off."

"You're on my shit list too, Jen. I don't know why you and dad are like that, but I haven't forgotten that spat in Chicago."

I rolled my eyes. John would probably knife me if he knew how far it had gone in New York. And Dean would be upset if he found out that was why John didn't like me so much. It wasn't worth the fight that would break out.

It was just after daybreak when John pulled his truck onto the side of the highway. Apparently it was on foot from here. I grabbed a machete from the back of the Impala, strapped it to my hip. I put my bowie knife in my boot, and slung a long serated knife over my shoulder. Dean and Sam had similar ensembles , John only had one weapon. Dumbass. We headed through the woods. Even though they were hunters, they definitely weren't _hunters_. They made quite a lot of noise going through the woods, twigs snapped, leaves crunched, and every time I flinched. Those damn things would probably hear us coming mile away.

We came to a clearing with a large barn. Ducking down on the tree line we saw an old beat up car pull in, a guy in a t-shirt comes out. They talk and then go inside.

Dean scoffed, "Son of a bitch. So they're really not afraid of the sun?"

John whispered back, "Ahh, direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn. The only way to kill 'em is by beheading. And yeah, they sleep during the day - doesn't mean they won't wake up."

I made a face, "So I guess that means we are walking right in? Because that is totally the rational and sane thing to do."

John nodded, "That's the plan."

"Apparently you missed the class in sarcasim." I replied.

John thought for a moment, "So, you really wanna know about this Colt?"

"Yes sir." Sam replied.

John cast his eyes down and then started talking, "It's just a story, a legend really. Well I thought it was. Never really believed it until I read Daniel's letter...Back in 1835, when Halley's comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo. They say Samuel Colt made a gun. A special gun. He made it for a hunter, a man like us only on horseback. Story goes he made thirteen bullets, and this hunter used the gun a half dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. And somehow Daniel got his hands on say... they say this gun can kill anything. "

I was surprised, and I hadn't been that far off the mark either. A gun that could kill anything? That would sure come in handy.

Dean was the first to speak, "Kill anything like, supernatural anything? Jen was right, this is about the demon."

John nodded, "Yeah, the demon. Ever since I picked up its trail I've been looking for a way to destroy that thing. Find the gun - we may have it."

* * *

They approached the outside of the barn, looking for a way in. Jen ran around to the back, the hayloft entrance. She let out a low whistle. Dean, Sam and John jogged around. She pushed open a window. They all clambered in, searching. When they enter they see the vampires sleeping, snoring in hammocks, it is totally quiet. John seperates, checking different stalls. The other three work their way down the aisle. Dean accidently kicks a bottle across the floor that clinks down the wooden boards. They all stop. None of the vamps stir. Jen bitchfaces Dean, mouthing '_really_'. He mouths '_what_' back. They continue through the barn. When Dean came up beside her she couldn't help herself, in her best Transylvannian impersonation she whispered,

"I 'vant to suck your blood. 'No?"

Dean about lost his shit right there, he turned to her and she raised her eyebrows and was biting her lip to keep from laughing. Dean just shook his head and kept looking around, moving through the hammocks. At the back of the barn John finds two vampires asleep on a bed in an office. He spots the gun hanging in a holster beside them. Sam finds a woman tied to a post,

"Dean! Jen!" He hisses. They move up beside him, Sam begins to untie her when they hear small crashes and movement. They freeze. Jen points,

"There are more." Behind a metal mesh there are six or seven people tied up. There is a padlock on the door. Dean looked around and saw a piece of rebar. He handed it to Jen who shoved it under and broke the lock. At the snap, they cringed, looking over at the hammocks. There was no movement.

John was trying to snag the gun from the back. The woman that Sam was untying began to stir. Sam whispered to her,,

"Hey. Hey hey, shh, I'm here to help you."

The woman screamed, but the scream came out as a blood curdling roar. She was a vampire. Sam backed up into Jen and Dean. The vampires all jumped awake. John turned for a split second to the roar, when he turned back the two vamps were up. The male hurrled him against the wall. John grabbed a curtain and let the sunlight in, the vampires flinched away.

In the main barn Jen, Dean and Sam where huddled back to back, "Umm..boys? I think it is time we skedaddle ."

Dean nodded, "I second that motion."

John came hauling through the barn, "Run!" He yells and they all scramble for the exit. In the aisle there is one vamp in their way. Jen pulled the machete from her hip and brought her arm back. Whe the vamp tried to grab her, she swung hard, and the head rolled from the neck. Sam, Dean, and Jen burst through the door and run up the hill to the woodline,

"Stop." Dean say and then yells, "Dad!"

There is no answer, "Dad!"

After a moment John comes running up the slope. As soon as they see he is alright they all turned and sprinted through the woods back to the cars. Right before they got in John spoke, breathing heavily,

"They won't follow. They'll wait till tonight. Once a vampire has your scent, it's for life."

"That's fantastic John, so let's go burn some reefer and hope to God they can't smell us over the stench."

John shook his head at Jen, "Smart ass. We gotta find the nearest funeral home."

The boys and Jen looked between each other, confused. John slams his hand on the hood of his truck.

" I will explain back at the motel. Let's get the hell outta here."

* * *

Once we were back at the motel John sent Dean to a funeral home to get something or other, he hadn't said it loud enough for me to hear. I was sitting near a window, switching between looking outside and watching Sam pace a hole in the floor. I ran a hand through my hair and scanned the parking lot again.

John spoke, "You've changed."

At first I thought he was talking to Sam, but when I looked around he was watching me. I laughed dryly.

"Since when? Wisconsin or Chicago?"

He thought for a moment, "Both."

The corners of my mouth twitched and I went back to looking out the window. He continued,

"You are always a pain in the ass but you're harder now, you are more focused..."

"That's what the life does to you John, it strips away your ability to care about the mundane little by little. You see past all the bullshit and zone in on what you need to do to get the job done."

"No..." He trailed off in thought.

I was done playing his riddles, I didn't have time for this bullshit. I should have just gone with Dean.

Sam finally talked, "It shouldn't be taking this long. I should go help."

"Dean's got it. " John said gruffly. Moments later his face softened, "Sammy."

Sam finally stopped walking, "Yeah."

"I don't think I ever told you this but ... the day you were born, you know what I did?"

"No. "

"I put a hundred bucks into a savings account for you. I did the same thing for your brother. It was a college fund. And every month I'd put in another hundred dollars, until... Anyway my point is, Sam, this is never the life that I wanted for you."

"Then why'd you get so mad when I left?"

"You gotta understand something. After your mother passed all I saw was evil, everywhere. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you...prepared. Ready. Except somewhere along the line I ... uh ... I stopped being your father and I ... I became your, your drill sergeant. So when you said that you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about, my only thought was, that you were gonna be alone. Vulnerable. Sammy, it just... it never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn't accept the fact that you and me - We're just different. "

Sam laughed dryly, John looked confused.

"We're not different. Not anymore. With what happened to Mom and Jess... Well we probably have a lot more in common than just about anyone."

"I guess you're right, son." John smiles slowly.

"Hey Dad? Whatever happened to that college fund?"

"Spent it on ammo."

They looked at each other and then Sam cracked up and John laughed with him. I saw the Impala pull into the lot. Good, cause this father-son bonding BS was making me nauscious. Dean came bursting into the room.

"Whew. Man, some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys. "

"Get it?" John asked.

Dean fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out a jar. I got up and took it from him, holding it up to the light. It was the blood from a corpse, I could see that it was dark and starting to clot up.

John took it from me, "We have to wait until tonight."

Great, it was only early afternoon. I would have to spend at least five or six more hours twiddling my thumbs in the room listening to Winchester drama.

I went over and laid on the bed, being up all night and only sleeping like two hours yesterday was kicking my ass. I dozed off, listening to the silence between them. A few hours later I heard the door slam and stirred to consciousness. The Impala and the truck started and pulled out.

"Where'd they go?" I asked groggily, not even sure who was still in the room.

"Sam went to get us food. And Dad said he needed to pick up some stuff."

I felt the matress move as he laid down on the bed, his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me flush against him,

"What does that give us...fifteen maybe twenty tops?"

"Mm-hm." Dean mumered as he burried his head into my hair. " I think ten would put us more on the safe side."

He started kissing the back of my neck and moved down to my shoulder. The two weeks without anything like this had sucked ass. Sam had never left us alone for more than three minutes and there wasn't anywhere to hide out in the car. And with John only getting us one room it had just made it harder. He just put his forehead agianst my shoulder,

"Jen, what are we doing?"

I rolled over so that I was nose to nose with him and studied his face. His green eyes looked into mine, I sighed. I knew this was hard on him, hell it was hard on me spending all day together and never getting to do anything normal.

"Dean, I don't really know what. All I know is I really like you, and yeah it sucks ass with the way we live, but I'm cool with it."

He half smiled, "I'm cool with it too."

I didn't know why, but I voiced what was going throught my head, "For how long?"

"How long what?"

I felt out of contol, " You don't live like this,"

"So?"

"So, how long until this isn't enough?"

He laughed, I was surprised. It wasn't the reaction that I expected.

"Jen, I'm not an animal. I can control myself, you know. Is that seriously what you are worried about?"

I blushed, "Kinda."

"Jesus Christ, Jen. I thought you were worried about something serious, like that I kill things for fun and live in a car. " He pushed his lips against mine softly. His arm slid down my side and pulled my waist agianst his stomach. I put my hand on his face and pulled it closer to mine, I felt him smile. Dean pushed his face into where my neck met my jaw. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of the Impala engine.

"Looks like our fifteen is up." I spoke quietly

Dean got up, and looked out the window. I moved and sat crosslegged on the bed. Sam came in carrying bags of fast food. He set them on the table and started digging.

"A couple double cheeseburgers for you." He tossed some at Dean.

"Jen, got you the same thing. Extra onions." He threw two cheesburgers across the room at me. As I started eating I realized that none of us had eaten in two days. I scarffed down the two burgers without coming up for air. Swallowing the last bite,

"You, got any more?"

Sam laughed and tossed me another burger, "Thanks."

Dean was finishing off his fourth burger when John's truck pulled up. It was just starting to get dark.

"You three ready to go?"

* * *

On the highway at night Dean leaned over the open hood on the Impala. He started at a voice behind him,

"Car trouble?" Dean turned to see the female vampire that had been in the back room. She smiled and then continued,

"Let me give you a lift. I'll take you back to my place."

Dean grinned, "Nah I'll pass. I usually draw the line at necrophilia."

She gave a cocky smile, "Oooh."

She walked up and backhanded him, another vampire flanked her. She grabbed his face and lifted him off of the ground. Dean reached and grabbed her wrist,

"I don't usually get this friendly until the second date but..."

She laughed, "You know, we could have some fun. I always like to make new friends."

She lowered him to her level and kissed him, crushing his face with her hand. She pulled away and Dean being the smartass that he was replied,

"Oh. Whuf. Sorry. I don't usually stay with a chick that long. Definitely not eternity."

While this was going down Sam and John were on one side of the road in the woods and Jen was on the other side. The second that the vampire bitch grabbed ahold of Dean, she was on the move. Jen was armed with a basic recurve bow, a quiver and a machete. She ran out into the center of the street, hitting the flanking vamp with an arrow to the throat while she was on the run. Reloading, she aimed for the bitch's back, straight to the heart. Breath in, out, release. The arrow went all the way through her chest. Jen stood up and smiled.

"AHHHHHH." The other vamp charged. In one fluid movement Jen spun, kneeled, reloaded and released another arrow. It went through the windpipe. The vampire holding Dean spoke,

"It barely even stings."

John and Sam came out of the woods, they were both carrying crossbows, John winked at her, "Give it time sweetheart. That arrow's soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you isn't it?"

The vamp looked shocked and then fainted, crumbling to the ground. John turned to Jen,

"You were supposed to wait."

"Wait until the thing was sucking on Dean's throat? No thanks."

John just shook his head, walked over to the vampire that was gasping on the ground. His machete raised and lowered, removing the head from the body.

Dean looked at Jen's bow, "Thing is kinda out of date."

"Well out of date just saved your ass. It has better reload time than a cross or compound."

"Well, why don't you and your relic help me load the body?"

Dean grabbed the arms of the unconcious vampire and Jen grabbed her feet. They tossed her up into the bed of John's truck and then secured her to reinforced sidebars. All of them loaded up and followed John's truck for about fifteen miles where he pulled off and started a fire. Sam paced, patrolling while John threw bags of stuff on the fire.

Jen jutted her chin towards it, "What is that stuff? It smells like ass."

" Saffron, skunk's cabbage and trillium. It'll block our scent and hers, until we're ready."

Dean starte choking on the smell, "Stuff stinks!"

John laughed, "That's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes, and you stand a chance of not being detected. "

Jen sighed, watching the flames, "You sure they will come after her?"

John nodded, "Yeah. Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun. But the blood sickness is going to wear off soon, so you don't have a lot of time."

Sam stopped beside them, "A half hour oughta do it."

"Good," John replied, "And then I want you out of the area as fast as you can."

Sam looked confused and Dean spoke, "Well, Dad you can't take care of them all yourself."

"I'll have the vamp. And the Colt."

Sam smelt that John had something else going on, "But after. We're gonna meet up, right? Use the gun _together._ Right?"

There was a long pause. Jen understood what was going on. John had used his boys and her to get the gun.

Sam raised his voice, "You're leaving again ,aren't you. You still wanna go after the demon alone. You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this."

John was appauled, "Like what?"

Sam looked down at the ground, "Like children."

"You are my children. I'm trying to keep you safe. And Jen is barely older than a child..."

Jen's face turned dark, "Hey..."

Dean cut her off, "Dad, all due respect but, uh, that's a bunch of crap."

They all looked at Dean, totally in shock.

John raised his eyebrows, "Excuse me?"

Dean swallowed, "You know what Sammy, Jen and I have been hunting. Hell you sent us on a few hunting trips yourself. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe."

"It's not the same thing, Dean."

Dean was starting to get pissed at his dad, "Then what is it? Why do you want us out of the big fight? "

"This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive. "

Jen's face fell, she knew where this was going, "You can't be as stupid and reckless."

"Look... I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. My wife's death" He looked at Sam and Dean,

Your mother's death ... it almost killed me. I can't watch my children die too. I won't."

Dean was yelling, "What happens if you die? Dad, what happens if you die, and we coulda done something about it? You know I been thinking. I ...think maybe Sammy's right about this one. We should do this together. "

Sam nodded. Hell Jen was always in for a hunt. Dean grabbed his father's shoulder, "We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it. Add Jen in the mix and we are unstoppable. No monster, no demon stands a chance."

"We're running out of time. You do your job and you get out of the area. That's an order."

Dean looked down, Sam clenched his jaw. Jen wanted to hit something but just walked away instead. She wasn't about to get in the middle of this.

* * *

We were sitting outside of the vampires' nest. With the cool night air we could here them speaking. The leader was out front,

"Is there any sign of those four?"

"No. Something else."

"What."

"Luther, they cut off Frank's head!"

"And Kate?"

"I don't know. She wasn't there. What are we gonna do?"

There was the rumbling of an engine in the distance, I could tell it was John's truck. They both looked up and the one called Luther looked down the road, forlorn and spoke,

"Kate. She's in that truck."

Moments later they were getting into cars, squealing tires and racing down the road. When they were out of sight, I touched Dean's shoulder and pointed to the barn. He nodded. The people that we had released before had never made it out becasue half of them had been unconscious when I broke the lock. We were here to finish the job and clear out what was left of the nest.

The three of us ran silently to the barn. We went around back to the window I had found before and slipped into it. I looked down the aisle and only saw three vamps left. I hold up three fingers to the boys and they nod. We move downward. One of the vampires swig from a bottle and heads toward the barn doors. He stops, shrugs, takes another swig and turns. Dean was righ there,

"Boo!" Dean swung the machete and hit the mark cleanly. The other two vampires hear the thud from the head, but Sam and I have it covered before either of them can make a move. We run to the cage and I break the new lock.

"You guys need to run." I tell them. "Get to the highway."

Dean comes up behind me, "Jen, we gotta help my dad. There are too many vamps."

I nod. Dean yells, "Sam! Let's go."

We all sprint back to the woodline where we stashed the bows incase we had needed them. Turns out we did.

"Dean!" I yelled as we ran, "Where is he gonna be?"

"Sounded like he was near where we parked yesterday."

Running through the woods in the dark is no picnic. I watched Sam and Dean both wipe out a few time. I did the same. My face was torn apart by the thorns, my hands were raw and clothes torn. I slowed to a jog when I saw lights in the distance. We moved to the where the woods met the road so we could see what was going down. John was holding Kate upright, a knife to her throat. Luther had the Colt.

John was yelling, "Put the colt down, or she goes first."

Luther put his hands up, "All right. Just don't hurt her. " He placed the colt on the ground and backed up.

John drug Kate foward and leaned to pick up the gun. I see her working at the ties around her wrists, the dead man's blood had worn off. I started moving as Kate swung around, knocking John back against his truck. Luther ran over, backhanding John against his windshield. He crumpled to the ground. I let my first arrow fly into the back of the nearest vamp. Two more arrows whooshed by me, stricking two others. I drop my bow and pull the machete. I see Sam head for Luther as I chop the first head off. Another one with an arrow in him charges me and I swing again.

"Drop them!" I turn quickly as does Dean. Luther has his arm around Sam's throat. Dean moves forward and Luther pulls up.

"Don't! I'll break his neck. Put the blade down." For a moment we stand there. Dean let's his machete slip though his fingers. Luther looks at me and tightens his hold on Sam. I drop mine in response.

"You people. Why can't you leave us alone. We have as much right to live as you do."

Then I heard John's voice, "I don't think so."

Luther turns and is met by a bullet between his eyes. As he falls he lets go of Sam who stumbles away, gasping for air. Dean and I run forward , trying to keep him on his feet, watching. A bright light shows under Luther's skin, his skeleton visable. He falls to his knees.

"Luther!" Kate screetches. A quick flash of light flows through his body before he completly slumps to the ground. Kate started towards John. I reached down and grabbed my machete, running for her. She was so focused on John that she didn't hear me as I ran at her, tackling her to the ground. We struggled, her with her inhuman strength and me with all the experience. I shoved the blade through her chest and then pulled up. Cutting through her windpipe and up into her jaw. She faltered, I gained the advantage and finished the job. Standing up, I was covered in blood.

"Thanks." John said.

I nodded in response. And turned back to the boys. I looked Dean in the eyes, and he nodded. Everyone was okay.

* * *

In the motel I was packing up my shit as were the boys. It had been a quiet drive back and we were getting out of this two goat town before the human survivors in the barn had any chance to track us down. John entered the room,

"So..."

We turned to face him and he continued, "You ignored a direct order back there."

"Yes sir." Sam said

Dean shook his head, "Yeah but we saved your ass."

Sam looked sideways at Dean. I pursed my lips and shrugged, Dean swallowed nervously. Finally John nodded,

"You're right."

Dean about fell over, "I am?"

"It scares the hell out of me. You two are all I've got. But you were right, the four of us are unstoppable. So...we go after this damn thing. Together."

Sam and Dean smile at each other. Dean looks over at me and I half smile,

"Well let the ass-kicking begin."


	14. Salvation

In this dingy ass motel room I was starting to see double. I had gone through page after page of weather reports and articles. I let out a yawn, blinked and looked up from where I was sitting on the bed, circled by papers. Plastered all over the wall were weather charts, pictures, and more articles, all pertaining to this yellow eyed demon that we were hunting. Dean was spread out on the couch, flipping through books, Sam was on his laptop and John was sitting at the table, paper strewn everywhere and ontop of it the colt.

Dean closed the book, "Is this everything?"

John nodded, "This is it. This is everything I know. Look, our whole lives we been searching for this demon right? Not a trace, just...nothing. Until about a year ago. For the first time I picked up a trail."

Dean stretched, "And that's when you took off."

"Yeah. That's right. The demon must have come out of hiding, or hibernation. It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, California. Houses burned down to the ground. It's going after families, just like it went after us."

Sam glanced up, "Families with infants?"

"Yeah. The night of the kid's six-month birthday. "

Sam was shocked, "I was six months old that night?"

John nodded and looked back at the papers. I was sifting through the latest weather reports. According to what John had said this son of a bitch threw up some pretty nasty omens: electrical storms, cattle deaths, big temperature fluctuations. This all would happen as the demon circled his next victim for up to two weeks before. I rubbed my eyes again, and flipped a page.

I snap my fingers, "Hey, guys. I got something."

I stood up from the bed and spred the sheet I had just been looking at on the table.

"Okay so this is a weather map of midwest. Over central Iowa for the last week there have been major storms, and unseasonal temperatures."

Dean was beside me, "Iowa is a decent size area."

I pulled out a newspaper article that I had printed, "Way ahead of you. There have been a ton of insurance claims for livestock, right about when the weather changed, all centered around one town. Salvation."

Sam and John looked over my work again. John looked up and nodded with approval.

"We better get going then."

Not ten minutes later we were hauling ass north. Sam had decided to ride with his dad, so it was just me and Dean in the Impala. For the last few hours we small talked and listened to the radio. Both of us were in 'hunt' mode. I broke from it long enough to ask Dean something that had been on my mind,

"Dean, what are you gonna do? When this is over?"

He chuckled, "I'm not usually the pessimist, but aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"

I turned to him, "Okay fine...Let's say when this is over, someday, what are you gonna do?"

He thought for a moment, his mouth twitched, "I don't know. I mean I will probably keep doing the job. But the first thing I'm going to do..."

Dean was silient for a moment, he smiled. "What?" I asked.

"...Take you on a normal freaking date. Movie, dinner, bar, get trashed and make bad decisions . Then I am going to lay in bed for a week with a couple cases of beer, in my boxers and not do a goddamn thing."

I laughed and looked out the window. Dean broke the quiet, "Anything you wanna do?"

I shook my head, thoughtfully, "Nah. For the most part I like what I do. But I could sure as hell use some quiet and a week or so of nothing."

I watched out the window, we just passed the sign, _'Welcome to Salvation'_. Suddenly, John's truck swerved to the shoulder of the road. Dean barely had enough time to jack the breaks to avoid him.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean gets the Impala to stop and on the shoulder infront of the truck. My heart is pounding after the heart attack I just had, I grabbed the handle and jumped out of the car. John is out and pacing,

"God damn it!" He yells and kicks the hub.

Dean walks over, "What is it?"

I follow, John is still in his own head, "Son of a bitch."

"What is it!" Dean yells

John snaps out of it and looks over, "I just got a call from Caleb."

Sam leaned on the hood, "Is he okay?"

John nodded, "He's fine. Jim Murphy's dead."

I watched Dean's body stiffen , "Pastor Jim? How?

"His throat was slashed. He bled out. Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place."

"It was a demon." I stated, leaving traces of sulfur was a clear sign.

Dean looked between me and John, "A demon. The Demon?"

John shook his head, "I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're getting close."

Dean was upset, clearly agitated, "What do we do?"

"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health centre in this county. We split up, cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's going to be six months old in the next week."

"John that could be dozens of kids, maybe more. How do we know which one's the right one?"

"We check em all that's how. You got any better ideas?"

I shrugged, "Well we could always try to chase down that wild goose, or find that pot of gold. Hey, maybe we can try to telephone Atlantis while we are at it?"

John shook his head at me, Dean smirked and Sam rolled his eyes. Then John stopped for a second and stared at the road behind us.

"Dad?" Dean spoke softly.

John came back to reality, "Yeah. It's Jim. You know, I can't...This ends, now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes."

We all climbed back into the cars and rolled into town. Sam and John were both going to take the two hospitals. Dean and I had the health center.

* * *

John was sitting in a room with files everwhere, births from sixth months ago. There was only two kids that would be exactly six months within the week. Dean and Jen were having similar luck. They had fronted as inspectors and had only been able to find four children in the surrounding area. Sam, was having all the luck. He was sitting in a dark filing room and had found twelve children. Once he set down the last file he flipped open his phone,

"Dean"

_"Yeah bro, what's up?"_

"I found twelve kids, I'm going to start scoping them out. How'd you guys do?"

"_Me and Jen only found four, we already scoped them out. Nice families, nice neighborhoods. One of them is exactly six months tonight, so I think we are going to stake out there."_

" Okay, anything else."

_"Oh, yeah, just got off the phone with Dad. He only found three and they don't turn until later in the week. You got any soon?"_

Sam glanced down at the list, "There is a girl tomorrow, a few the night after and the rest are later. I will give you a call when I'm done."

_"Alright, watch your back."_

"Will do."

Sam walked out the front, flipping through his notes. Then there was a sharp pain through his head, he clutched his forehead, leaning on a bench to stay upright. It was one of his visons. He saw the yellow eyed demon in a baby's nursery, there is a mother looking out the window. A train whistle blows in the background, and it flashes back to the demon. With a crack in his ears, the vision is gone.

Sam pads his pockets, looking for a map. Finding one, he compares the railway line with addresses on his list. There are only two that match, he takes off on foot.

Half an hour later, Sam is standing in a park, consolidating the map again. There are children playing, laughing on the playground. The same vison replays in Sam's head again, his brain felt like it was splitting in two. When the world comes back into focus, Sam sees the woman from his vison pushing a stroller along the road, carrying groceries, holding an umbrella. He runs over and tries to act calm,

"Hi. Here, let me hold that for you. You look like you don't need that anymore."

"Oh. Thanks."

Sam held onto the stroller and the bag while the lady closed her umbrella. He looked inside, a little baby dressed in pink looked back.

"She's gorgeous. Is she yours?"

"Yeah."

"Oh wow, hi! " He said nervously, then looked back up at the mom, "Oh sorry, I'm rude. I'm Sam. I just moved in up the block."

"Hi. I'm Monica. This is Rosie."

"Rosie? Hi Rosie."

"So, welcome to the neighborhood ."

Sam was panicked, trying to get more information, "Thanks. She's such a good baby!"

Monica laughed, "I know, I mean she...she never cries. She just stares at everybody. Sometimes she looks at you and I swear it's...it's like she's reading your mind."

Sam swallowed hard, "What about you Monica? Have you lived here long?"

"My husband and I, we bought our place just before Rosie was born."

"And how old's Rosie?"

"She's six months tomorrow. She's big right? Growing like a weed."

Sam was immediately distracted, "Yeah. Monica..."

"Yeah?"

"Just ahhh,just take care of yourself okay?"

"Yeah, you too Sam. We'll see you around."

She turned away from him, heading up to the house. It was the house Sam had seen in his vison. He started walking down the road quickly, rushing. Pulling out his phone again,

"Dean? Yeah. I found it."

"_What?"_

"I know where."

As soon as he hung up the icepick returned to his brain. The clock on a bedroom wall stoped, a man in a black hood approaches a sleeping Rosie. Monica opens the door and screams. The figure turns, yellow eyes blazing. Monica is pulled up the wall to the ceiling, blood begins to drip and she ignites.

* * *

Dean and I had pulled the Impala into a motel lot to wait for John and Sam.

"So Sam said he found who it is."

"Yeah."

I nodded, "How does he know?"

"He knows."

"Dean you can tell me.. well you should tell me."

He opened the door and we sat down at the table. He rubbed his forehead and then started,

"Sam has these visons. It usually has something to do with us, or with this demon. Its happened once or twice before."

"Like the future?"

"Yeah." He watched me nervously.

I pushed my lips together, raised my eyebrows and shrugged, "Alright."

"Alright?"

I grabbed a glass and filled it with water. "Yeah, alright. I mean, we see freaky shit all the time. Your brother is a good person." I shrugged again, "So, yeah, alright."

Dean shook his head, and a small smile played at his lips. "Alright then."

John burst into the room, "Hope you guys had some luck."

"Dean and I didn't, but Sam's on his way, he did."

Just as I finished saying it, Sam came in the door. He told us about his vison, about meeting the lady and the kid. That the kid, Rosie, turned six months tomorrow. When Sam finished John stared at him, horrified,

"A vision."

"Yes. I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling." Sam replied slowly, rubbing his head.

"And you think this is going to happen to this woman you met because..." John was clearly questioning Sam's sanity.

"Because these things happen exactly the way I see them"

Dean jumped in, "It started out as nightmares. Then it started happening while he was awake."

Sam continued, "Yeah it seems like the closer I get to anything to do with the demon the stronger the visions get."

John nodded slowly, "All right. When were you going to tell me about this?"

Both of the boys stopped and looked at him, Dean was the first to recover,

"We didn't know what it meant."

"All right, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone and you call me."

"Call you? Are you kidding me? Dad I called you from Lawrence all right? Sam called you when I was dying. Jen called you when we were in the middle of the shit in Dodgeville. I mean, getting you on the phone? I got a better chance of winning the lottery."

"You're right. Although I'm not too crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry."

I interrupted , "Look, doesn't really matter. The fact is that that demon is coming to Salvation tomorrow night. We know when, we know where. The trick is going to be staying under the radar and not letting it know we are here."

John nodded, thoughtfully, "I'm going to make some calls and head over two towns. There is a university there that has a good record section and biblical studies department. Maybe we can figure out what the hell this thing is up to."

He walked out and took off in the truck.

"Great, what are we gonna do for the rest of the day?" I asked, glancing at the clock. It wasn't even after three yet.

"Apparently sit with our thumbs up our ass." Dean replied dryly. I went over to a bed and turned the radio on as I flopped down, just staring at the ceiling. If we got this tomorrow night, that would be it for the boys. I wondered if Sam would leave Dean and head back to school. I wondered how his would even go down, we had the colt, but there were only four shots left and then the thing was a glorified paperweight. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but similar thoughts kept ripping their way through my head.

About an hour later, a chair screeched against the linoleum flooring. I looked over to see Sam getting up and heading for the door.

"Where you goin'?"I asked

Sam turned back, "I can't sit around like this, I'm heading to the county office building and then back to that house, see if I can find a place we can hide out that is closer."

And with that he walked out, the Impala engine started and rumbled away. I rocked up and grabbed a cup of coffee from the pot that was going. I looked over to see Dean watching me from the table,

"What?" I asked between sips.

He got up and sauntered over to me, grabbing my cup out of my hands and setting it on the counter. Without looking at me he said softly,

"You know, we have a guaranteed hour or so to ourselves."

He reached down with one hand and grabbed mine, finally looking over into my eyes. I smiled,

"Well fuck it, I'm getting a shower." I said jokingly. He laughed and shook his head.

"Always the smart ass."

"Umm... you have no room to talk." He chuckled again, and then pushed my body back agianst the counter and bent his neck down and kissed me. His hand let go of mine and both of his were on my face, pulling it against his. I locked my hands behind the small of his back.

* * *

Dean hadn't been able to help himself once Sam left. Two fucking weeks had passed before he had even been able to touch her in Colorado. That had only lasted for about a split second. He had told Jen that he wasn't an animal, now he wasn't so sure. Dean thought about it almost constantly, nights where he would wake up and thank God that she had no idea what he had just dreamt about. Having no idea what he was doing he walked up to her and took her coffee,

"You know, we have a guaranteed hour of so to oursleves." He was so afraid to even look at her. How cliché was what he just said, was he pushing her too much? Dean finally worked up the courage to look at her, and at the same time reached down and intertwined her fingers with his. The corners of her lips twitched and Jen smiled,

"Well, fuck it, I'm getting a shower." Internally, Dean was so relieved that he laughed. Jen's way of brushing shit off that could easily be awkward was a blessing.

"Always the smart ass."

Jen looked back at him, Dean could see her searching his face.

"Umm...you have no room to talk." Dean chuckled, Jen was so laid back about everything, just shrugging his comments off. There was no stopping it, Dean bent his neck down and began to kiss her, slowly at first, gauging how she was going to react. He let go of her hand and put either on her face, pulling her harder against him. Jen wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, flush against her body. Every muscle in Dean's body relaxed, Jen pulled back,

"You okay?"

"Yeah...You're awsome." It just came out. Jen stared at him for a moment, and then busted out laughing, doubling over. Dean turned red and Jen couldn't breathe. Dean pulled her back upright, she was crying because of how hard she was laughing.

"I'm okay." She said, still giggling, trying to stop. Dean just shook his head, waiting. Jen looked back at him.

"Nope." She said and started laughing hard agiain. She pushed his arms away and went to the middle of the room.

"I'm sorry." She managed to get out.

Dean stayed where he was. "It just came out, I'm..."

"Don't say you're sorry. It's fine." Jen finally had contol of herself.

"I..."

"Dean. It is okay. It is my fault, that's just never something I thought anyone would say to me. Especially in the middle of making-out."

Dean walked over to her, she looked at him, "And it is so cute that you actually, one hundred percent meant it."

He rolled his eyes, "Cute? Well now I feel like a man."

"Dean, I swear..." Jen closed the gap between them and pulled his face down to her level, pushing her lips hard agianst his. Dean pushed her backwards, towards the bed. '_Crazy Train'_ was blasting on the radio. Finally, the back of her calves hit the bed and as she begain to fall backwards, Dean caught her and laid her down softly, crawling over her. Jen pushed herself towards the head of the bed and he followed, kissing her along the way, she giggled. Once she was finally still, he leaned his weight against her body, shifting his weight to one arm so his other was free.

Dean started working on the buttons of her shirt, and pushing it out of the way. When he was done, he moved back up to her and kissed her, Jen pushed her body up against his, arching her back. He groaned, and felt her smile against his lips. Like he had in Boston, he pulled her up with him so that she was straddling his lap, kneeling. Jen began working down the buttons on his shirt, Dean held her close, kissing her neck. It tickled and she giggled, fumbling with the buttons,

"Dammit." She whispered, he could hear the nervousness in her voice. Dean pulled her face against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, distracted, forgetting the shirt for a moment. When Dean pulled back they just stared into each others eyes for a moment, Jen was totally mind blown and it took her a moment to recover. When she focused, she blushed uncontrollably, and looked down.

Dean pushed her hair back from her face, "What are you so scared about?"

Jen was silent for a moment, then tried to kiss Dean again. He groaned, and held her shoulders in place.

"You aren't dodging that easily. I'm new at this shit, but I am pretty sure that a relationship means you tell the other person what is going through your head."

Jen's hands fell, and she wouldn't look at him. Then she whispered, "What if I'm not good enough?"

It was Dean's turn to laugh hysterically, he laughed until he couldn't breathe. Jen blushed again, and he stopped, grabbing her chin.

"When I said you're awesome, I meant it. Babe, you are the biggest bad-ass ever. You are great at everything you do."

Jen rolled her eyes at him, Dean continued, trying to get her to forget.

"You are too good for me, okay? Hell I don't even know what you are doing with a guy like me. What the hell is the matter with you?"

Finally Jen looked at him and chuckled, then a thought hit him and he tensed, "Jen? Your not a..."

Before he could finish his thought, she shook her head. Dean exhaled, the small panic attack gone. He was lost in thought when he felt her return to the buttons on his shirt. Dean snapped out of it as Jen pushed the shirt off his shoulders. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, discarding it on the floor. Dean pushed her back down agianst the bed, kissing her everywhere, moving his hands over her skin. Her legs were hooked around his hips, she reached for his shirt and Dean arched his back, making it easy for her to slip it over his head. He sat up and unbuttoned her jeans, and stood up at the foot of the bed. Dean grabbed the bottom of her jeans and pulled, hard enough for her to start sliding down the bed,

"Shit," Jen grabbed the head board and giggled. Dean discarded the pants and slipped off his own. Jen laid on the bed, watching him. He looked up and down her body, only covered by a green bra and underware. He reached her eyes again,

"Can you stop that?" She asked, blushing again.

"What?"

"Smiling like an idiot. It makes me uncomfortable."

Dean laughed and dove on top of her, trailing his lips all the way up her stomch, between her breasts, and up her neck. Everytime his lips made contact, her body quivered. He reached her face, and pinned her hands with his, fingers intertwined. He kissed her hard, until neither of them could breathe, their bodies moving against each other, small noises escaping. Dean pulled back and smiled again, this time he was mind-blown as well. Jen smilled back at him. Dean let go of one hand and went to push down her underware,

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Dean and Jen both about hit the ceiling at the yell of John Winchester. Dean leapt off the bed and grabbed his pants,

"...Dad...I...we" He kept stammering. John's eyes were blazing, staring at Jen who was scrambling to cover herself with something. She grabbed the closest thing to her, which was Dean's button down. As she slipped it over her shoulders, her head snapped back. She was being drug across the room by her hair.

Jen tried to stand, struggling to get some leverage, but John threw her against the wall.

"Dad..." Dean was pleading. John ignored him

"You bitch, you little whore..."

Jen stood up and John rushed her, pulling out a long, wide blade. She raised her left hand to defend herself, a red hot pain ran up her arm as John pushed the knife through the palm of her hand, and through the wall over her head. Jen yelped in pain.

"Goddammit Dad!" Dean pulled John back and accidentally pushed him over.

"What is the matter with you Dean?" John was still yelling, "You just can't keep it in your pants, can you?"

Jen tried to reach up with her right hand and pull the blade out with her other hand, but it was too high for her to get any leverage. The pain was almost unbarable, she yelped again. Dean turned to help her.

John was on his feet and pulled his son around, "What are you doing, fucking the freaking help?"

Dean pushed John back, he was yelling, "What the hell does that mean?!"

John ignored him, turning on Jen again, "And you! You just couldn't keep your legs together. Fucking my son!?"

Dean grabbed John up by the collar of his shirt. Neither of them noticed Sam slip in the room as Dean was yelling,

"It-isn't-like-that."

"Yeah? Then what is it like Dean? Is she really that much better than any skank you could pick up in a bar? "

"Shut-up." Dean snarled. Jen was trying for the knife again, Sam watched the events unfold from the corner because what he had walked into baffled him. Jen was barely clothed, haning from the wall by a knife through her hand. Dean was in just his pants, holding their dad off the ground. All hell had broken loose.

John was still yelling at Dean, "What the hell is it? There is no way that little bitch is that good of a lay. What the fuck is..."

Dean was so frusturated that he rushed out the words, "Dammit, I love her."

The room fell into total silence at Dean's little Fruedian slip. Jen was totally frozen, barely breathing. Sam couldn't beleive his ears, and John just stared at his son. Dean didn't breathe and just stared off at the wall. Sam's phone ringing broke the silence. Dean let go of his dad and turned to Jen. She looked up at him, searching his face, he wouldn't make eye contact with her. Dean walked over, reached up and pulled the knife out of Jen's hand, tossing it aside. She grimaced, Dean held up her hand and examined it, she was going to have to see a doctor.

"Are you alright?" Dean asked softly, all the anger gone. Jen just nodded.

Sam answered his phone as Dean guided Jen to the bathroom to wrap her hand,

"Hello?"

_"Sam?"_ A woman's voice is on the other side.

"Who is this?"

_"Think real hard it will come to you."_

Sam paused, Dean was finishing, tightening the bandage around Jen's hand.

"Meg." Sam said into the phone. Jen, Dean and John all jumped to attention.

Sam shook his head, "Last time I saw you you fell out of a window."

"_Yeah, no thanks to you. That really hurt my feelings by the way_."

"Just your feelings? That was a seven-story drop."

"_Lemme speak to your Dad_."

Sam looked over at John, "My Dad. I don't know where my Dad is."

_"It's time for the grown ups to talk Sam, let me speak to him now."_

Sam hesitated, but John held out his hand for the phone,

"This is John."

"_Howdy John. I'm Meg. I'm a friend of your boys. I'm also the one who watched Jim Murphy choke on his own blood...still there John-boy?"_

"I'm here."

"_Well that was yesterday. Today I'm in Lincoln. Visiting another old friend of yours. He wants to say hi..."_

John heard a man's voice over the phone, "_John, whatever you do don't give..."_

The man was cut off and John asked, "Caleb?"

Dean and Sam stiffened at the name, Jen didn't recognize it, she walked around the room silently , getting dressed.

John's voice became angry, "You listen to me. He's got nothing to do with anything. You let him go."

"_We know you have the colt John."_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"_Oh, okay. Well listen to this."_

Over the phone John could hear the slice of a knife, and the sound of Caleb choking on his own blood.

"Caleb. Caleb!"

"_You hear that? That's the sound of your friend dying. Now let's try this again. We know you have the gun John, word travels fast. So as far as we're concerned you just declared war. And this is what war looks like. It has casualties."_

"I'm gonna kill you, you know that?"

_"Oh John please, mind your blood pressure. So this is the thing. We're going to keep doing what we're doing. And your friends, anyone who has ever helped you, gave you shelter, anyone you ever loved. They'll all die unless you give us that gun."_

John thinks for a moment.

"_I'm waiting Johnny, better answer before the buzzer."_

"Okay."

_"Sorry? I didn't quiet get that."_

"I said okay, I'll bring you the colt."

_"There's a warehouse in Lincoln, on the corner of Wabash and Lake. You're gonna meet me there."_

"It's gonna take me about a days drive to get there."

"_You have until dark tomorrow."_

"That's impossible. I can't get there in time and I can't just carry a gun on the plane."

_"Oh. Well I guess your friends die don't they. If you do decide to make it, come alone."_

John threw the phone across the room. "Son of a bitch."

Sam spoke, "So you think Meg is a demon?"

John nodded, "Either that, or she's possessed by one. It doesn't really matter."

Dean sighed, "What do we do?"

"I'm going to Lincoln."

Jen scoffed, "What?"

"It doesn't look lilke we have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die, our friends die."

Sam was freaking out, "Dad, the demon is coming tomorrow. For Monica and her family. That gun is all we got, you can't just hand it over."

John smiled, "Who said anything about handing it over. Look, besides us and a coupla of vampires no ones really seen the gun, no one knows what it looks like."

Jen laughed dryly, "You can't just pick up any old gun."

John looked over, "Antique store."

Dean was astonished, "You're going to hand Meg a fake gun and hope she doesn't notice?"

"Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"Yeah but for how long? What happens when she figures it out?"

"I just...I just need to buy a few hours, that's all."

Sam nodded in understanding, "You mean for Dean, Jen and me. You want us to stay here, and kill this demon by ourselves?"

"No Sam. I want to stop losing people we love. I want you to go to school, I want Dean to have a home. I want...I want Mary alive. It's just...I just want this to be over..." He stared into space for a moment, "I'm gonna go to the store. Dean, why don't you get her to the hospital?"

* * *

The next morning, me and Dean were heading to meet Sam and John. Apparently they had found a ringer for the colt. My hand was wrapped from the hospital and hurt like a bitch. The doctor said I had been lucky, there was minimal damage and none of the bones had been broken. He had stitched some of the muscles and stitched the skin, telling me that eventually I would need the outer ones removed, the inner would dissolve. Dean had barely spoken to me the enitire time, instead I would catch him watching me, waiting for me to run for the hills.

We pulled behind John's truck on a muddy backroad. We got out and walked up to where John and Sam were standing,

"Did you guys get it?" I asked.

Sam pulled out a gun. It was old looking, a later model of the same colt. Dean exhaled heavily and spoke,

"You know this is a trap don't you. That's why Meg wants you to come alone?"

John scoffed "I can handle her. I got a whole arsenal loaded. Holy water, Mandaic, amulets..."

"Dad..." Dean started softly.

"What?"

"Promise me something. "

"What's that. "

"This thing goes south just...get the hell out. Don't get yourself killed all right, you're no good to us dead."

"Same goes for you. All right listen to me. They made the bullets special for this colt. There's only four of them left. Without them this gun is useless. You make every shot count."

Sam stood up straight, "Yes sir."

"Been waiting a long time for this fight. Now it's here I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you guys now. It's your fight, you finish this. You finish what I started. Understand? "

John handed Dean the real colt, and Dean nodded firmly. John smiled,

"I'll see you later."

John got into the truck and left Dean, Sam and Jen standing in the mud with the colt and the Impala.

"Well boys. We have a demon to smoke."

Dean turned to me, "Let's go get this son of a bitch."

* * *

John pulled his truck infront of the warehouse in Lincoln. He grabbed the fake colt off the passenger's seat and checked it. He got out and began walking around, he spots a tank on top of the roof. John begins jogging along an alley, checking the pipes and continueing on. He clambered up on the roof and takes out a rosary, unlocking the tank and opening it up. He chants quickly in Latin and drops the rosary into the water.

John hears footsteps and crouches, hidding in the shadows. Meg appears where he had just been walking. She looks around and then continues into a nearby building. John climbs down and backtracks, entering the room where Meg was. He stops a few feet away from her.

"John, you made it. Too bad really, I was hoping to kill more of your friends."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"I can see where you boys get their good looks. Though I must admit, considering what they say about you I thought you'd be...taller."

John just stared at her, waiting for her to finish with the games. She sighs,

"Well aren't you the chatty one. You wanna get to business? Fine. Why don't you just hand over the gun."

"If I give you the gun how do I get out of here?"

Meg smiled devilishly , "If you're as good as they say you are I'm sure you'll figure something out."

John pulled up the gun and cocked the hammer, "Maybe I'll just shoot you."

Meg took a step forward, "You wanna shoot me baby? Go ahead. There's more where I came from."

Another guy walks out of the shadows. His eyes flashed black, another demon.

"Who the hells that?"

"He's not nearly as much fun as I am I can tell you that. So I suggest you give us the gun."

John stared at the other demon and then back at Meg. She was becoming impatient,

"Now!" She yelled.

John uncocked the gun and flipped it around. Holding it out to her. Meg snatches it, looking over it.

"This is the colt?"

John nods.

Meg tosses the gun to the other demon,"What do you think?"

The other demon ran it through his hands. Then he pulls up, cocks it and shoots Meg, point blank in the chest. She staggers back, grabbing at the wound.

"You shot me! I can't believe you just shot me!"

The demon turns, eyes flashing black, "It's a fake."

He throws the gun aside, Meg turns to John,

"You're dead John. Your boys are dead."

John backed away, slowly, "I've never used the gun. How could I know it wouldn't work?"

Meg was advancing on him, "I'm so not in the mood for this. I've just been shot"

"Well then I guess you're lucky the gun wasn't real."

Meg snarled, "That's funny John. We're going to strip the skin from your bones, but that was funny."

The hiss of steam escaping distracts Meg. When she looked away, Joh turned and ran, locking the door behind him and heading for the alley. Meg and the other demon kick open the door and race after him. John stops and turns a valve open, water rushes everywhere. The guy, stops and then continues. As he touches the water he begins smoking, he jumped back into Meg, howling.

Meg looked up, pissed, "Holy water John. Real cute."

John smiled and took off. He sprinted the entire way to his truck, but his tires were all slashed,

"Dammit." He said under his breath and took off around the side of the building. John makes a couple of turns, and then runs into a dead end. He stops, looking around. He grabs for his phone but is flung against a wall. When John looked up, groaning in pain, the demon and Meg were standing in front of him, smiling.

* * *

We were sitting in the car across from Monica's house. The entire day we had spent shifts scouting it; sitting in the park, walking by. Now that it was dark we were pretty safe staying in the car, Sam and Dean in the front with the colt laying between them. Through the window I could see the lady and her husband finishing their dinner.

Sam spoke, "Maybe we could tell em it was a gas leak. Might get em out of the house for a few hours."

Dean shook his head, "Yeah and how many times has that actually worked for us?"

Sam sighed, "Yeah... could always tell em the truth."

Dean just looked at Sam for a moment and then back at me, and back at Sam.

"Nah." They said in unison.

Sam kept fretting. Honestly the best chance this family had was us, sitting here, keeping an eye on them. Sam changes the subject,

"I wonder how Dad's doing. "

"I'd feel a lot better if we were there backing him up. " Dean replied and kept watching the house.

"When do you guys think the thing will come?" I asked.

Sam shrugged, "In my vision, Monica looks like she woke up, so probably not for awhile."

I leaned back into the seat and stared at the house. Two more hours passed in silence .

"This is weird." Sam said.

"What?" Dean turned to face him. I just kept looking at the house, watching the family flip off lights.

"After all of these years we're finally here. It doesn't seem real."

"We just gotta keep our heads and do our job, like always."

"Yeah but this isn't like always."

Dean nodded, "True."

Sam got awkward, "Dean...ah...I wanna thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. You've always had my back you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone I could always count on you. And ah...And you Jen, for having our backs for the last few months...I don't know I just wanted to let you know, Just in case"

I didn't like where this was going and Dean didn't either because he got mad, "Whoa whoa whoa, are you kidding me?"

"What?" Sam sat up straighter.

"Don't say just in case something happens to you. I don't wanna hear that freaking speech man. Nobody's dying tonight. Not us, not that family, nobody. Except that demon. That evil son of a bitch ain't getting any older than tonight, you understand me?" Dean finished and went back to looking out the window.

I flipped out my phone and tried to call John, he should have had the meet by now. It just kept ringing,

"John's not answering." I said as I hung up.

Sam turned, "Maybe Meg was late. Maybe cell reception's bad."

I glanced up and saw Dean watching me in the rearview. The radio started getting staticky,

"Hey guys. Turn that up."

Dean leaned and cranked the dial, nothing was coming through. The wind outside started howling. The lights on the block started to flicker. I jumped out of the car, running for the house I yelled over my shoulder,

"It's here!"

I can hear them barreling up the lawn behind me. At the door I use a credit card to slide the lock becasue they hadn't used their deadbolt. I swung the door and we slipped in quietly. I headed for their living room. There was a grunt and I saw the baseball bat in time to duck. I came up and grabbed the bat with my right hand, the husband swung with his fist. I went to block with my left, but when it hit my hand I crumpled in pain. Dean came up behind me and grabbed the guy, pushing him against the wall. A lamp crashes to the ground.

The husband yells, "Get out of my house!"

I am seeing double from my hand being hit. Dean grabs the bat out of my hand and pushes it across the guy's throat. Sam pulls me to my feet and Dean speaks sharply,

"Be quiet and listen to me. Be quiet and listen. We are trying to help you."

A voice comes down the stairs, "Charlie? Is everything okay?"

The husband yells, "Monica get the baby!"

Sam tries to yell over him, "Don't go in the nursery!"

Charlie yells at Sam, "You stay away from her!"

He struggles against Dean's grip. Dean takes the end of the bat and knocks him unconscious and puts him in a fireman's lift and takes him outside. Me and Sam scramble up the stairs.

I hear Monica scream, "Rosie!"

We run into the room as Monica is sliding up the wall and onto the ceiling. There is a dark figure in the center of the room.

"Hey!" I yell, he turns on us. Yellow eyes shining, Sam stops in his tracks, frozen. Monica screams again. Sam raises the Colt and pulls the trigger but the demon vanishes into smoke. Monica falls to the floor and the room bursts into flame.

Sam yells over the commotion, "Where the hell did it go?"

"My baby!" Monica screams and tries to pull herself to the cradle.

"Sam, grab her!" I yell, choking on the smoke.

Sam grabs her and drags her toward the door, she keeps fighting him, screaming. I see him finally lift her up and carry her out of the room. I run to grab the baby,

"Jen!" I hear Dean yell.

"Jen! Where the hell you at?"

"Here!" I yell as I grab the baby with my good arm as the cradle catches flame. I rush out the door and straight into Dean. He pulls me towards the stairs and we race out of the house. As we run outside I can hear the husband yelling,

"You get away from my family."

"No Charlie don't. They saved us." Monica is sobbing and turns to see me with her baby. I hand Rosie to her.

She looks between the three of us, "Thank you."

We turn back to the burning house. In the flames is the silhouette of that damn demon, its yellow eyes staring, standing completly and utterly still. Sam tries running for the door,

"It's still in there!"

Dean and I grab Sam, holding him back, Dean is yelling, " Sam. Sam, no."

Sam struggles, "Dean let me go, it's still in there."

"Sam..." I yell, "It's burning. Going in is suicide."

"I don't care."

Dean grabs his little brother, "I do!"

Sam pauses, looking at Dean. I turn in time to see the flames rise higher and the demon disappear again.

* * *

In the motel room, Dean was pacing. It had been over three hours since the house and we still couldn't get ahold of John. Dean had the phone to his ear,

"Come on Dad, answer your phone damn it..." He hung up and threw it across the room, "Somethings wrong."

I glaced over to see Sam just staring at the wall, jaw clenched. I rubbed my neck and looked back at Dean. I shrugged,

"We could head out..."

"If you had just let me go in there, I coulda ended all this." Sam cut me off. Fuck it, I was exhausted, my hand hurt, I wasn't going to even bother getting in the middle of this one.

Dean went over infront of his brother, "Sam, the only thing you would have ended was your life."

"You don't know that."

Dean was pissed, "So what, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself, is that it?"

Sam stood up and walked towards Dean, "Yeah. Yeah you're damn right I am. "

"Well that's not going to happen, not as long as I'm around."

"What the hell are you talking about Dean, we've been searching for this demon our whole lives. It's the only thing we've ever cared about."

"Sam I wanna waste it. I do. Okay? But it's not worth dying over."

Sam was shocked, "What?"

"I mean it. If hunting this demon means getting yourself killed then I hope we never find the damn thing."

"That thing killed Jess. That thing killed Mom."

Dean scoffed, "You said yourself once, that no matter what we do, they're gone, and they're never coming back."

Sam lost it and grabbed Dean by his collar, shoving him up the wall, " Don't you say that, not you! Not after all this don't you say that."

I got off the couch, "Guys, it is time to cool it."

Dean started speaking quietly, "Sam look. Us...that's all we have...and it's all I have. Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holding it together man...and without you or Dad..."

"Dad. " Sam was coming back to reality, upset, " He should have called by now. Try him again."

Dean turned and I tossed him his phone, he dialed John again on speaker. It clicked and there was a moment of silience, and then,

"_You guys really screwed up this time_." It was Meg

Dean's body stiffened, "Where is he?" He spat out between his teeth.

_"You're never going to see your father again."_


	15. Devil's Trap

Dean slung the phone against the wall, it shatters to pieces.

"Fuck. They have Dad."

Dean starts pacing, zoning out, Sam is trying to get his attention,

"Meg? What'd she say? "

Dean ignored him, deep inside his own thoughts, agitated and mumbling to himself.

"Dean?" Sam was raising his voice at his brother. "Dean!"

I walked up behind Dean and grabbed his shoulder, "Dean?" I spoke softly.

He stopped pacing and just stood there, then he turned to face me. I put my hand on his cheek, after a moment he closed his eyes and leaned into my palm. After a second his green eyes open, he reaches up, putting his hand on my neck and giving me a quick kiss,

"We gotta go." He says and I nod. Dean grabs the colt and tosses it in his duffle and heads for the door.

"What are you doing, Dean? " Sam is frustrated.

"Sammy, we got to go."

Sam huffed, "Why?"

I was packing up what remained of my stuff, I talked over my shoulder, " 'Cause that damn demon knows where we are, and it knows we have the colt."

Dean starts throwing Sam's stuff in his bag, "It has Dad, it's probably coming for us next."

"Good. We've still got three bullets left. Let it come. "

I shook my head, "Sam we are good. We aren't that good. I don't want to be hellhound puppy-chow, okay?"

"I don't care, I want that damn thing dead!"

Dean grabbed his brother by the shoulders, " Listed, tough guy, we're not ready, okay? We don't know how many of them are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving... now! "

We all hopped into the Impala and Dean was racing down the road. Every turn we went into, the car would slide sideways. It was probably a good thing I hadn't eaten all day. Sam was in the front seat, pissed as all hell,

"I'm telling you, Dean, we could have taken him."

"What we need is a plan. Now, they're probably keeping Dad alive, we just gotta figure out where. They're gonna wanna trade him for the gun."

Sam shakes his head.

"What?"

"Dean, if that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade? Dad, he might be..."

" Don't!" Dean raised his voice painfully.

"Yeah Sam, " I said sarcastically, "You know, Goonies never say die."

Sam shot me a nasty look, "Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing. We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job. "

Dean was yelling as he pushed the speedometer needle to the max, " Screw the job, Sam!"

"Dean, I'm just trying to do what he would want. He would want us to keep going. "

"Quit talking about him like he's dead already. Listen to me, everything stops until we get him back, you understand me? Everything. "

Sam paused, and just stared out the window. I leaned back in my seat, "So how are we gonna do this?"

Dean shrugged but didn't look back, "Maybe we go to Lincoln. Start at the warehouse where he was taken. "

Sam scoffed, " Come on, Dean, you really think these demons are going to leave a trail? "

Dean paused for a moment, "You're right. We need help."

At the next exit, Dean gunned the Impala and changed our heading to South Dakota. Through the night the Impala never dropped below one-twenty. In the early hours of the morning we were pulling into _Singer Auto_. When we got out there was a large dog barking from its chain.

"Easy." I said firmly and the dog just stopped, wagging his tail. Hell of a guard dog. We walked up, Dean starts to talk,

"Jen...Bobby is an old friend of the family. Guy knows everything but him and uh, my Dad didn't part on the best of terms. I don't know how this is gonna go."

I nodded, smiling internally. Walking right up, I knocked on the door. A man in his early fifties, dressed in plaid, and a baseball cap answers the door. He stares at me for a moment,

"I don't believe it." He stammers.

"Hey Bobby." I said. He pulled me into a hug, "I told you I would come and see ya the next time I was in town."

"Its good to hear from you girl. How the hell are ya?"

He let go of me and looked past me, "Sam? Dean? It is sure good to see you boys. It has been awhile"

I turned and they were just standing there, with confused looks on their face. I snapped my fingers,

"Guys! C'mon. We don't have time for this." They followed me inside. The house was simple, red decorative wallpaper that was beginning to peel. There were stacks upon stacks of books collecting dust. Guns, weapons, charms and other stuff that I couldn't identify hung from the walls and sat on shelves. Bobby picks up a silver flask with a cross and pours it into three glasses and points,

"Here you go. "

I take a swig, it tasted like stale pond water, "Uck. Holy water?"

The boys each took a sip of theirs, Bobby handed me a different flask,

"That one was. This one is whiskey."

I tipped it up and then handed it to Dean who also took a swig, making a face as it burnt on the way down. Then he handed Bobby back the flask and jumped into the story of the last few days events: their dad and the yellow eyed demon. When he finished Bobby went over to his stack of books and pulled out an old, leather bound one, and tossed it to Sam, who immediately started flipping through it. I was paging through the stacks, reading, sifting through papers. Dean sighed with relief,

"Bobby, thanks. Thanks for everything. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure we should come. "

"Nonsense. Your Daddy needs help. "

" Well, yeah, but last time we saw you, I mean, you did threaten to blast him full of buckshot. Cocked the shotgun and everything. "

"Yeah, well, what can I say? John just has that effect on people. "

Dean laughed, " Yeah, I guess he does."

" None of that matters now. All that matters is that you get him back." Bobby paused for a second, "Jen. You didn't tell me you were hunting with the Winchesters."

"I didn't?" I said innocently, avoiding eye contact.

"Must of slipped your mind."

"Yeah..." Dean started, "You never told us you knew Bobby either."

"Dean, I don't tell you a lot of things. I ran into Bobby on a hunt a few years back."

Bobby nodded, "Nasty Navajo Spirit deal down in New Mexico."

I sat down and continued, "He helped me learn a little more about hunting. And then Bobby here thought he could play poker."

"I can play poker. How often do you see an honest to God royal flush?"

"And that's how I ended up with that Camaro."

Bobby took another swig of whiskey, "Speaking of...Where is that hunk of junk at?"

I smiled, "That's right, you haven't seen it since I fixed it up. It is pretty sweet, canary yellow, black leather...Anyways, it is in storage down near the Wisconsin, Illinois border."

Sam spoke from the corner, "Bobby, this book... I've never seen anything like it. "

Bobby walked over by Sam and sat on the corner of the desk, "Key of Solomon? It's the real deal, alright. "

"And these, uh, these protective circles. They really work? "

I nodded, "I used one on a hunt when I first started. Stuff is the shit."

Bobby continues talking, "You get a demon in - they're trapped. Powerless. It's like a Satanic roach motel."

Sam chuckled and Dean said, "Man, knows his stuff. "

Bobby shook his head, " I'll tell you something else, too. This is some serious crap you three stepped in."

I sat down in a chair, "How's that?"

"Normal year, I hear of, say, three demonic possessions. Maybe four, tops. "

"So?" I asked.

"This year I hear of twenty-seven so far. You get what I'm saying? More and more demons are walking among us – a lot more. "

Sam closed the book, "Do you know why? "

" No, but I know it's something big. The storm's coming, and Jen, you boys, your Daddy – you are smack in the middle of it. "

The dog started barking outside, I looked up. Bobby furrowed his brow,

"Rumsfeld?" Bobby walked to the window and stared outside. The barking stops and there is silence.

"Something's wrong."

Just as he finished the door buckled inward. Meg walks through it, a gaping hole in her chest. Shirt totally bloody. Dean goes for the holy water on the desk. She stares at him,

" No more crap, okay?" She sends him flying back against a bookcase, he crumples, knocked out. I step up and Sam moves between Meg and Bobby. She looks between all of us,

" I want the Colt, Sam – the real Colt – right now. "

I glanced over, Dean was starting to move, I crouched next to him, making sure that he is okay. Meg ignored us and followed Sam and Bobby who were backing into the other room, Sam speaking,

"We don't have it on us. We buried it. "

" Didn't I say "no more crap"? I swear – after everything I heard about you Winchesters, I got to tell you, I'm a little underwhelmed. First Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun, and then he leaves the real gun with you two chuckleheads and that useless bitch. Lackluster, men. I mean, did you really think I wouldn't find you? "

I step up behind where she is, in the room's entryway, "Actually, we were hoping you would join the party."

Meg turns on me, I smirk and glance upwards. She follows my gaze. Above her is a Devil's Trap.

"Oops." I say dryly. Dean walks over behind me,

"Gotcha."

We all go to work right away, tying her to a chair in the middle of the trap. Meg struggled a little bit, but inside, she had no more strength than any human girl. Bobby had disappeared to lock down the house by salting all the doors and windows.

When we were done she looked over at Sam and Dean, "You know, if you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask. "

Bobby returned, " I salted the door and windows. If there are any demons out there – they ain't getting in. "

Dean nodded and walked to stand in front of Meg, " Where's our father, Meg?"

She smiled, coyly, " You didn't ask very nice."

"Sorry. Where's our father, bitch?"

" Jeez. You kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait... I forgot, you don't. " She smiled.

Dean lunged at her, putting his hand on the arms of the chairs, yelling, "You think this is a friggin game? Where is he?! What did you do to him? "

She spit at his face, " He died screaming. I killed him myself. "

I saw the hate cross Dean's face, he backhands her across the face, snapping her neck to the side,

"That's kind of a turn on – you like hitting a girl? Actually hold on." She looked past Dean and at me, "Is that what really gets him going?"

Dean smacked her again, "You're no girl."

Bobby stands up suddenly, " Dean."

He moves to the next room and me and Sam follow. I put my hand on Dean's shoulder,

"You okay?"

"She's lying. He's not dead. "

Bobby started, "Dean, you got to be careful with her. Don't hurt her. "

Confusion spread across Dean's face, "Why?"

"Because she really is a girl, that's why. "

It clicked into place for me, "She isn't just a demon? She is being possessed."

Bobby nodded, Dean started to get frustrated, " Are you trying to tell me there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there? "

Bobby nodded and Dean glanced back in the room at Meg, "Hmm. That's actually good news. "

I know where he is going with this. I run to that book that Sam was flipping through earlier and find the page that I am searching for. I hand it to Sam and we walk back in the room where Meg is, she looks between us,

"Are you gonna read me a story? "

Dean smirked, " Something like that...Hit it, Sam. "

"Regna terrae, cantate deo, psallite domino..." He continued reading in Latin, Meg looked over at Dean,

"An exorcism? Are you serious? "

Dean just crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. Meg looked over at me and I spoke,

"Oh yeah bitch. We are goin' all out. Head spinning, projectile vomiting, the whole nine yards. Like I said, party time."

Sam continues and Meg flinches in pain, her eyes keep flashing black. She looks past us to Sam,

" I'm gonna to kill you. I'm gonna rip the bones from your body. "

Dean stepped into her sight line, " No, you're gonna burn in hell. Unless you tell us where our Dad is."

Meg just smiled, teeth showing. I smirked, "I'm gonna be awful jealous of that tan."

She turns and hisses at me. I can hear Sam continueing,

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incuriso infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, onmis congregatio et secta diabolica... "

Meg starts shaking, screaming in pain. She gasps and Sam pauses,

"He begged for his life with tears in his eyes. He begged to see his sons one last time. That's when I slit his throat. "

Sam kept reading and Dean leaned down to her,

" For your sake, I hope you're lying. Cause if it's true, I swear to God, I will march into hell myself and I will slaughter each and every one of you evil sons of bitches, so help me God! "

Sam kept reading, " Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae. Hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei. Contremisce et effuge. Invocato a nobis sancto et terribile nomine. Quem inferi tremunt...

A wind rips through the room, loose pages fly off shelves. Meg starts to wince again.

"Where is he? " Dean yells.

"You just won't take "dead" for an answer, will you? "

" Where is he?! "

" Dead!"

Dean was so angry and upset now, " No, he's not! He's not dead! He can't be!"

Sam stops reading, looking at his brother with concern. Dean turns to him,

"What are you looking at? Keep reading."

"Ab insidis diaboli, libera nos, domine. Ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias, libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos..."

The chair that she was tied to begins to whip around the circle, "Ut inimicos sanctae ecclesiae humiliare digneris, to rogamus audi... "

" He will be! " Meg screams.

Dean freaks, "Wait! What?! "

"He's not dead. But he will be after what we do to him. " Meg is struggling to get the words out.

"How do we know you're telling the truth? "

" You don't." She screamed at him.

"Sam!"

" A building! Okay? A building in Jefferson City. "

Dean grabs her throat, " Missouri? Where, where? An address!"

"I don't know." She chokes out.

Sam goes up beside his brother, " And the demon – the one we're looking for - where is it?"

" I don't know! I swear! That's everything. That's all I know. "

Dean stood up, " Finish it."

"What? I told you the truth!"

" I don't care."

I was leaning against a table. I looked over at Bobby, who stared back with concern and I shook my head. The truth was there. The only thing that was keeping this girl alive was the demon inside of her.

Meg howled again, "You son of a bitch, you promised. "

Dean snarled back, "I lied! Sam?"

Sam didn't say anything for a moment, "Maybe we can still use her. Find out where the demon is. "

" She doesn't know. "

Sam avoided his brother's eyes, " She lied."

" Sam, there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there. We've go to help her. "

I finally spoke, "You are going to kill her."

Dean turned to me, "What?"

I sighed, "Dean, she fell from a building. A fall that would kill a human, the girl's body is broken beyond repair. And there is a bullet wound through her chest. What is keeping her going is that demon. You get rid of it, she is going to die. That is the reality of it."

"Listen to me, we are not gonna leave her like that. " Dean said.

Bobby turned to Dean, "She is a human being. "

I chewed the inside of my check, "It is inhumane to leave her like this Bobby. She needs to be put out of her misery."

Dean looked at me and nodded, "Sam...finish it."

Sam pauses for a moment, contemplating. Finally, he continues, "Dominicos sanctae ecclesiae, terogamus audi nos, terribilis deus do sanctuario suo deus israhel. Ipse tribuite virtutem et fortitudinem plebi suae, benedictus deus, gloria patri..."

Meg's head whips back and there is a scream that isn't human. Black smoke rises from her mouth and swirls within the trap. Finally it burns away. The girl's body slumps forward and blood begins to drip from her mouth. We all stand there and look between each other for a moment. Then the girl sits up and gasps. I rush forward, Dean speaks to Bobby,

"She's still alive, call 911. Get some water and blankets. "

Bobby rushes off. I begin to untie her arms the best I can with one hand. Dean is beside me helping and Sam is trying to hold her steady,

"Thank you." She breathes out, blood spraying.

Sam tries to calm her, " Shh, shh. Just take it easy, alright? "

Dean looks up at his brother, " Come on. Let's get her down. "

I back up and give them the room to lift Meg from the chair. I can hear the sounds of bones crunching and rattling. She screams in pain as they lower her to the floor. Sam is still talking to her,

" Sorry, sorry. I got you. I got you. It's okay. It's okay. "

She whispers again, "A year."

"What?" I ask.

She struggles, "It's been a year. I've been awake for some of it. I couldn't move my own body. The things I did – it's a nightmare."

" Was it telling us the truth about our Dad? " Dean asked.

"Dean. " Sam warned.

" We need to know. "

" Yes. But it wants... you to know... that... they want you to come for him. "

"If Dad's still alive, none of that matters. "

Bobby returns with some blankets and a glass of water. He hands the glass to Dean and I take the blanket and try to cover her up. Dean holds her head up so that she can drink.

"Where is the demon we're looking for? " Sam asks.

" Not there. Other ones. Awful ones. "

"Where are they keeping our Dad? " Dean tries to get her to focus.

"By the river. Sunrise. " She chokes. I can tell that she is struggling. The air catches in her throat, rattling. She stops breathing.

Dean is still talking, " "_Sunrise_". What does that mean? What does that mean? "

"Dean..." I put my hand on his shoulder. "She is gone, man."

He looks up at me sadly. I sigh, "C'mon."

"You better hurry up and beat it. Before the paramedics get here. " Bobby says.

"What are you gonna tell them? " I ask.

Bobby laughed, " You think you guys invented lying to the cops? I'll figure something out."

He tossed the Key of Solomon book to Sam, "Here take this. You might need it. "

Sam nodded, "Thanks."

Dean headed for the door, "Thanks... for everything. Be careful, alright? "

"You just go find your Dad. And when you do, you bring him around, would you? I won't even try to shoot him this time."

Dean laughed and reached for the door handle.

"Oh, ah Jen?" Bobby said, I turned back to him,

"You watch out for those boys."

I smiled, " I always do."

* * *

Parked on near train tracks outside of Jefferson City, Missouri was the Impala. Dean and Jen were at the back, loading guns and holy water into a couple of duffle bags. Sam was sitting on the hood of the car looking through the Key of Solomon. Dean had been quiet for a long time,

"You alright?" Jen looked over at him.

"Just getting ready. "

"Dean, if anyone is alive, it is your dad. That guy is tougher than nails."

Dean doesn't answer her and keeps loading stuff. Jen turns and sits on the edge of the trunk, watching him. She reaches out her good hand and places it on his shoulder. Dean pauses for a moment. Then he places his hand over hers. After a few seconds she gets up and rubs her hand over his back as she walks to the front of the car.

Sam flips to another page of the book. Grabbing a piece of chalk, he rubs the dirt off of the top of the trunk and begins drawing a symbol.

"Dude, what are you drawing on my car!"

"Demons can't get through it or inside it with this symbol. "

Dean runs over to check that the paint isn't scratched, " So?"

Sam moves to the other side on the trunk and draws, "It basically turns the trunk into a lockbox. "

" So?"

"So, we have a place to hide the Colt while we go get Dad. "

"What are you talking about? We're bringing the Colt with us. " Dean is getting upset about the car.

"We can't, Dean. We've only got three bullets left. We can't just use them on any demon, we've got to use them on the demon. "

Dean is now super pissed, " No, we have to save Dad, Sam, okay? We're gonna need all the help we can get. "

" Dean, you know how pissed Dad would be if we used all the bullets? Dean, he wouldn't want us to bring the gun. "

" I don't care, Sam. I don't care what Dad wants, okay? And since when do you care what Dad wants? "

Jen looked between the boys, this was not something she really wanted to get into. Sam started yelling,

" We want to kill this demon. You used to want that, too. Hell, I mean, you're the one who came and got me at school!You're the one who dragged me back into this, Dean. I'm just trying to finish it! "

Dean scoffed, " Well, you and Dad are a lot more alike than I thought, you know that? You both can't wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing. But you know what? I'm gonna be the one to bury you. You're selfish, you know that? You don't care about anything but revenge. "

Sam was so aspirated, he slammed the book down on the car, "That's not true, Dean. I want Dad back. But they are expecting us to bring this gun. They get the gun, they will kill us all. That Colt is our only leverage and you know it, Dean. We can not bring that gun. We can't. "

Dean shook his head, " Fine."

" I'm serious, Dean. "

"I said fine, Sam."

Dean took the colt out of his jacket, held it up for Sam to see and then put it in the trunk.,

"Happy?" Sam turned away. Jen caught the little sleight of hand that Dean pulled before closing the trunk.

* * *

We were walking down the riverfront after we parked the car. I looked ahead of us,

"Guys..." I point up the road, ahead of us is a sign that reads _'Sunrise Apartments'._

"...You think that's what Meg meant by sunrise?"

Dean nodded, "Son of a bitch. That's pretty smart. I mean, if these demons can possess people they can possess almost anybody inside. "

"Yeah, and make anybody attack us." Sam replied.

I sighed, "And we can't kill them, 'cause they're humans.

Sam turned to face us, " They probably know exactly what we look like, too. And they could look like anybody."

Dean rolls his eyes, "This sucks."

"Y-ep." I reply and look at the building. There are people walking in and out, going about their daily lives. Children playing, people in suits on their phones.

"How do we get in?" I look up at Dean.

"Pull the fire alarm, get out all the civilians. "

Sam shifted his weight, nervously "Okay, but then the city responds in, what, seven minutes? "

I nodded, "Seven minutes exactly...Sam? You wanna do the honors?"

He looked at me and sighed. I just stared back, Sam sighed again and trotted over to the apartment complex, leaving us standing there.

"Just to let you know, I saw that little move you pulled back at the car."

I looked up and watched Dean's jaw tighten, "Don't know what you're talking about."

I put my arm around his waist, "I'm not gonna rat you out. You are a sucky lier, by the way."

Dean looked down at me and shook his head, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. Seconds later, the fire alarms began ringing through the air. People were scrambling out of the building. Dean put his face into my hair,

"Let's go kick some demonic ass."

* * *

Exactly seven minutes later firetrucks were pulling up to the building. Dean and I moved through the bustling, panicking people to a fireman,

"Hey, what's happening? Is it a fire? "Dean asks.

The fireman pushes us back, "We're figuring that out right now, sir. Just stay back."

"Well, we've got a Yorkie upstairs and he pees when he's nervous..." Dean trailed off.

" Sir, ma'am, you have to stay back."

As we keep badgering the fireman I see Sam move behind a truck. When I see him emerge, I elbow Dean and we take off. Sam had snagged three full firemen gear sets: boots, hats, tanks, the works. We dressed in them quickly and entered the building. I pulled out an EMF meter, as did Sam and Dean and we were checking doors. Around the fourth floor, Dean spoke,

" I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up. "

Sam replied, "You never told me that."

My EMF meter suddenly spiked in front of one of the doors.

"Guys!"

They ran up beside me and looked at the meter. Dean reached up and pounded on the door,

"This is the fire department. We need you to evacuate. "

A few seconds later I hear the lock click and I slam my shoulder into the door. A woman is flung backwards. Sam and Dean spray her with holy water and her husband charges me. I let him tackle me and I use his momentum to roll on top. I punch him in the face and start to drag him towards a closet. The guy struggles, and I have a lot of trouble trying to control him with only one hand. I pull a flask and douse him with holy water, he screams. Dean comes over and helps me toss him in the closet,

"Come on! " Dean yells

Sam grabs the woman and shoves her in the closet. Dean and I lean up against the door as the demons try to escape,

"Sam! Hurry." I grunt as the door lurches.

Sam pulls a canister of salt out of a duffle and runs a line in front of the closet. As soon as the line is complete, the demons stop pushing on the door. I sigh with relief, and we ditch the fireman get-up. Dean opens a nearby door,

"Sam! Jen!"

I run over and see John tied up to a bed, honestly , he looks like he just got hit by a bus. Dean goes up to his father,

"Dad?" Dean leans down and listens, " He's still breathing. Dad, wake up. Dad!"

Dean takes out a knife and goes to cut the rope.

"Whoa! Hold up Dean." I say, something wasn't right about this.

He looks back at me, Sam nods, "She is right, for all we know he could be possessed."

Dean was shocked, "What? Are you nuts?"

Sam took out a flask, "Dean, we got to be sure."

He sprinkles the holy water on John who does not budge. John moans and starts to come around,

"Sam? Why are you splashing water on me? "

Dean was relieved, "Dad, are you okay? "

John muttered, "They've been drugging me. Where's the Colt? "

"Don't worry, Dad, it's safe." Sam said quickly. Dean and I cut him free, John was still muttering incoherently,

"Good boys. Good boys. "

We get John to his feet. I have one shoulder and Dean has the other, pulling him with us. We were in the entryway when the door burst inwards. A fireman with black eyes was walking towards us with an axe,

"Back up, back up." I grunt out, struggling under John's weight. We get back into the bedroom and Sam locks the door just as the blade of the axe cracks through. Sam jumps back but then runs a line of salt in front of the door. I look to the window,

"Guys, the fire escape."

Me and Dean haul John out onto the fire escape. Dean yells, " Sam, let's go!"

Dean drops down onto the street. I send John down before me and as he falls the last few feet, Dean catches him. I drop down and Sam is right behind me. When he gets down he trots out in front of us to check. When he is at the end of the building a man comes running out of nowhere and tackles him. Pinning Sam, the demon starts beating him, punching him in the face, not letting up.

"Sammy!" Dean yells.

Dean drops John and runs to help Sam, kicking the man in the face. The demon throws Dean into a wall and continues to beat Sam. I run and tackle the guy, we are rolling but he ends up on top, the concrete digging into my shoulders. I go to punch him, but he grabs my bad hand and slams it on the ground. I yelp at the red pain that shoots up my arm. His free hand punches me in the face, over and over. A crack fills the air, the sound of a gunshot. The demon flashes under the skin and then he crumples on top of me. I shove him off and see Dean, standing, with the colt.

I exhale and lean back for a second. I haul my ass up. Dean is helping Sam to his feet,

" Sam, come on! Come on! "

Sam stands there, looking at the body and is unresponsive, Dean shakes him,

"Come on. We gotta get out of here. "

I jog back and help Dean pick up John. We drag him to the car, toss him in the back. I crawl in front and Dean squeals the tires as we head out of town.

* * *

Dean had driven until we found an abandoned cabin in the backwoods. As soon as we got inside, we had gone to work salting all the doors and window. Dean had taken John and laid him down in one of the rooms. Sam collapsed in a corner, exhausted. I walk up in front of him and crouch down, studying his face.

"You look like you went through a meat grinder Sam."

He scoffed, "You don't look too bad yourself."

I laughed, I hadn't seen my reflection yet, but I could feel my right eye swelling and I could feel that my jaw was swollen.

"It doesn't look like you need any stitches." I said as I got up. Dean came in the room. I jutted my chin towards the room he just came out of,

"How is he?"

"He just needed a little rest, that's all. How are you guys?"

Sam struggled up, " I'll survive. Hey, you don't think we were followed here, do you?"

I shook my head, "I didn't see anyone tailing us, and this cabin is pretty out of the way."

"Yeah." Sam looked over at his brother, "Hey, uh... Dean, you, um... you saved my life back there. "

"So, I guess you're glad I brought the gun, huh? "

"Man, I'm tryin to thank you here. "

"You're welcome. "

Sam walked across the room and looked out a window. Something was bothering Dean. I closed the space between us and looked up at him. Dean just wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest. I buried my head in his chest,

He finally spoke, slowly, "You know that guy I shot? There was a person in there. "

I pushed back and looked up at him, "You didn't have a choice."

"Yeah, I know, that's not what bothers me. "

Sam turned towards us, "Then what does? "

Dean let go of me and then sighed, " Killing that guy, killing Meg. I didn't hesitate, I didn't even flinch. For you or Dad"

He paused and then looked at me, "Or for you, the things I'm willing to do or kill, it's just, uh ... it scares me sometimes. "

I just looked at him. I really didn't know what to say because I was the same kind of messed up. There wasn't a damn thing I wouldn't do for anyone I cared about. John's voice behind us made me jump,

"It shouldn't. You did good. "

Dean turned, surprised, " You're not mad? "

" For what? " John asked.

" Using a bullet."

" Mad? I'm proud of you. You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed. But you – you watch out for this family. You always have. "

Dean smiled, "Thanks."

I know it sounded weird but I felt sick to my stomach, I had since Jefferson City. Something was wrong, something was coming. Something was off. Suddenly the lights started to flicker. We all looked out windows, as the wind howled.

John spoke, " It found us. It's here. "

"The demon? " Sam asked.

John turned to his son, "Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door. "

"We already did it." Sam said.

"Well, check it, okay? "

Sam nodded and left the room. My stomach dropped again, my chest tightened. Shit was going to go down.

John is over by the window, "Dean, you got the gun? "

" Yeah."

" Give it to me."

Dean took the colt out of his jeans, "Dad, Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation. It disappeared. "

"This is me. I won't miss. Now, the gun, hurry. "

"Dean..." I whisper and when he looks I shake my head, my body is shaking. Dean hesitates looking at the gun.

"Son, please."

Dean backs up a few steps, looking up at his dad and back down at the gun. John turns, panic in his face,

" Give me the gun. What are you doing, Dean? "

Dean talked under his breath, "He'd be furious. "

John was confused, "What? "

" That I wasted a bullet. He wouldn't be proud of me, he'd tear me a new one. "

John just looked at him. It was all making sense, Dean raises the gun, pointing it at John and cocking the hammer back,

"You're not my Dad. "

" Dean, it's me. "

I move behind Dean, watching John warily. Dean was so upset,

" I know my Dad better than anyone. And you ain't him. "

John yells, "What the hell's gotten into you? " and he takes a step towards us.

" I could ask you the same thing. Stay back. "

I hear Sam come back into the room. I turn and the look on his face was that of pure terror,

"Dean? What the hell's going on? "

" Your brother's lost his mind. " John snarls.

Dean shakes his head, "He's not Dad. "

"What? " Sam said in disbelief.

Dean never took the gun off of John, "I think he's possessed. I think he's been possessed since we rescued him."

I could hear in his voice he was fighting the tears.

John spoke evenly, "Don't listen to him, Sammy."

"Dean, how do you know?"

"He's ... he's different. "

"Sam," I stay behind Dean and keep an eye on John, "Something is off, something ain't right about any of this shit."

John shot me a look and I quieted, "You know, we don't have time for this. Sam, you wanna kill this demon, you've gotta trust me."

Sam looks between Dean and his dad. Dean glances over quickly but doesn't say another word. Sam hesitates but comes and stands beside Dean.

"Fine. You're both so sure, go ahead. Kill me."John looks down and waits. Dean holds the gun but his hand begins to shake. He can't bring himself to pull the trigger.

"I thought so." John says. He looks up and his eyes glow yellow.

"Mother fucker" I manage to get out under my breath. Sam lunges but is thrown back against a wall, pinned there. Dean is thrown back into me and then onto the wall by his brother, dropping the colt. I struggle forward trying to grab it, but the demon steps on my bad hand.

"Bastard." I hiss.

I feel a pull in the pit of my stomach and am flung onto the wall. Now I have been flung around by spirits, but when a demon pins you, it feels like your organs are a magnet with the wall, through your back. I groaned, my feet unable to touch the floor.

I watch John bend down and pick up the colt, "What a pain in the ass this thing's been. "

" It's you, isn't it? We've been looking for you for a long time. " Sam manages to spit out.

John turns and smiles, "Well, you found me. "

Sam breathes heavily, "But the holy water? "

"You think something like that works on something like me? "

I fought against the force that pinned my to the wall, but everytime I pulled it felt like my lungs were being ripped out my back.

Sam yells, "I'm gonna kill you! "

John laughs, " Oh, that'd be a neat trick. In fact,"

He sets the gun down on the table, "... here. Make the gun float to you there, psychic boy. "

I watched Sam look at the gun, but nothing happened, John laughed again,

"Well, this is fun."

He walks in front of Dean, "I could've killed you a hundred times today, but this...this is worth the wait. "

Dean struggles, John watches,"Your Dad – he's in here with me. Trapped inside his own meat suit. He says "hi", by the way. He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood. "

"Let him go, or I swear to God – "

"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice. You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter. The one in the alley? That was my boy. You understand. "

Dean laughed, humorless, " You've got to be kidding me. "

"What? You're the only one that can have a family? You destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed your family?Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did. Still, two wrongs don't make a right. "

I struggled again, "You are a fuckin' son of a bitch."

John turned to me, "Huh...I almost forgot about you. You know, you are really on John's shit list. I think...and feel free, I am open to suggestions...I'm gonna rip his boys apart, and leave their guts on the floor. Then get some popcorn and watch John tear you apart."

He was in front of me, looking me up and down, "Still it would be a shame..."

"Go back to hell." And then I spit in his face.

John wiped it off and laughed, "You. You always amaze me. I haven't seen one of your kind in about two millennia. I mean sure there is the off brand, the small fries..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean grunts out.

John looks between him and me, thinking. And then the recognition crosses his face, "Oh. Oh. This is fantastic, this is freaking Christmas. Neither of you actually know?"

I exhale hard, trying to control the pain , "Know what?"

"Oh. That pit you get in your stomach. The way you feel things before they happen. You never wondered about that little letter John left for his boys, he knew exactly what you are. A _custos vero beatus_, a _dux humanitatis_, a _libertatis tutor_. A true guardian..."

John trailed off and then refocused, "That's how I know big shit is going down. Your kind only pop up when that happens. I mean, Jesus himself was trotting around the last time I saw one of you, well a real one. The worst part is your incorruptibility, its a real party pooper. You see, that is why John hates you so much. He knew exactly what you were, he thought you were here to protect ol' Sammy though. Oops, plot twist, you are messin' round with Dean."

I laugh, "Why does that matter?"

"Curiosity killed the cat Jennifer. But, I'm feelin' gracious so I will throw you a bone. The guard and the guarded have a, how should I put this, very dynamic relationship. It is cosmic, actually written in your DNA, you don't have a choice but to protect him, protect his mission, at least until his purpose is fulfilled. So if it came down to Dean or Sam, you know which one you would choose to save. And that pisses John off to no end. You are nothing more than a grunt. To him, it is like the dish wench fucking the king."

Dean laughed, "You are so full of shit."

John turned back to him, "Really? How could someone like you, that hates himself so much, end up with something like that? Huh?"

Sam choked in the corner, "I wanna know why. Why'd you do it? "

John turned to Sam, "You mean why did I kill Mommy and pretty, little Jess? "

"Yeah."

John smiled and turned back to Dean, "You know, I never told you this, but Sam was going to ask her to marry him."

He turned back to Sam, "Been shopping for rings and everything. You want to know why? Because they got in the way. "

"In the way of what? "

" My plans for you, Sammy. You... and all the children like you. "

Dean scoffed, ": Listen, you mind just getting this over with, huh? Cause I really can't stand the monologuing."

John goes back in front of him, "Funny, but that's all part of your M.O., isn't it? Masks all that nasty pain... masks the truth. "

"Oh, yeah? What's that? "

"You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is they don't need you. Not like you need them. Sam – he's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight, it's more concern than he's ever shown you."

"I bet you're real proud of your kids, too, huh? Oh wait, I forgot. I wasted 'em. " Dean smiles. John stares at him and Dean screams out in pain.

"Dean!" I yell, struggling hard.

"Jennifer, I keep forgetting about you. I apologize." He turned to Dean for a second, "If you could just bare with me. I am gonna take care of her first, you know, so lightening doesn't strike me down. I will be right back."

John looked at me and I felt my insides starting to burn. I wouldn't give him the pleasure of screaming. He chuckled, and blood started to drip from my stomach and my chest.

"Jen!" Dean yelled, "You son of a bitch."

John shrugged, "Dean, I guess you could both go down together."

I looked over, Dean winced and blood began dripping from his chest. He yelled, and then I felt the pain in my ribs again, I couldn't breathe.

"Dad! Dad, don't you let it kill me! " Dean pleaded.

John looked between us and smiled, I could taste the blood dripping out of my mouth, I was starting to choke.

" Dad, please. "

I looked over and saw Dean pass out. I wanted to yell, to scream, but I couldn't do a damn thing.

"Dean!" Sam yells.

John whispers, "Stop. Stop it. "

The yellow flickers away, I hit the floor and everything goes black.

* * *

Sam falls to the ground and dives for the colt. John turns to him, eyes yellow once again, taunting him,

" You kill me, you kill Daddy. "

"I know. " Sam fires the colt into his dad's leg. John crumples, leg flashing. Sam crawls over to his brother,

"Dean? Dean, hey? Oh God, you've lost a lot of blood."

"Jen?" Dean looks around

"She is here." Sam glanced over at her limp body, she wasn't moving. He wasn't even sure if she was breathing.

" Where's Dad? "

"He's right here. He's right here, Dean. "

" Go check on him. "

" Dean."

" Go check on him." Dean shoves his brother.

Sam gets up and goes over to check on John. He is lying motionless on the floor. Dean pulls himself upright and drags himself over to Jen. She is laying in a pool of blood. Dean gently rolls her onto her back,

"Jen?" There is no response, he shakes her "Jen?"

She coughs and looks up, eyes unfocused, groaning in pain. Dean momentarily relaxes, "Thank god."

Sam is over by his dad, " Dad? Dad? "

John suddenly sits up, yelling, " Sammy! It's still alive. It's inside me, I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son! Do it now! "

Sam aims the gun at John's chest, Dean yells, " Sam, don't you do it. Don't you do it. "

John is wriggling on the ground, "You've gotta hurry! I can't hold onto it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me! Son, I'm begging you! We can end this here and now! Sammy! "

Dean begs,"Sam, no. "

"You do this! Sammy! Sam... "

The demon smokes out of John and disappears through the floor. John looks at Sam disapprovingly, pissed. Dean flops down next to Jen, exhaling heavily. Sam rushes into action. First he helps his dad out of the cabin and into the passenger seat of the Impala. He comes back in, Dean and Jen are both conscious, staring at each other. Sam reaches down and helps Dean up,

"H-er first." Dean gurgles out.

"No." Jen coughs and struggles for her feet, slipping. Sam grabs her with his free arm and drags both of them with him. Once at the car, Sam manages to get them into the back seat. Dean leans with his back against the driver's side door. Jen laid under his arm, with her head on his lap. She was struggling to breathe evenly, Dean just kept running his fingers through her hair. Blood covered their faces and ran down their shirts.

Sam jumped into the driver's seat and took off. The car was racing up the road, every once in awhile John would wince in pain. Every bump in the road made Dean groan and Jen shiver.

Sam spoke quickly, "Look, just hold on, alright. The hospital's only ten minutes away."

" I'm surprised at you, Sammy. Why didn't you kill it? I thought we saw eye-to-eye on this? Killing this demon comes first – before me, before everything. " John said angrily

Sam looked in the rearview and made eye contact with Dean, " No, sir. Not before everything. Look, we've still got the Colt. We still have the one bullet left. We just have to start over, alright? I mean, we already found the demon... "

The flash of headlights and the crunching of metal on metal threw everyone sideways. An eighteen wheeler t-boned the Impala from the passenger side at full speed. The Impala slide up the road, body busting, windows cracking. Everyone inside was unconscious, covered in broken glass and blood. The driver of the semi got out and his eyes flashed black.


	16. In My Time of Dying

The demon steps out of the semi and walks over to the driver's side of the Impala. Sam slowly regains consciousness, and swallows, trying to get his bearings. He grabs the colt off the seat, aiming it to the approaching demon,

"Back. Or I'll kill you, I swear to god."

The demon sniggered, reaching for the door, "You won't. You're saving that bullet for someone else. "

Sam cocked the gun, "You wanna bet?"

The demon smiles, raises his hands and steps back. His jaw unhinged and a black cloud smokes out of the man who collapses onto the pavement. Sam uncocks the gun and leans back against the seat, exhaling heavily.

The man outside begins yelling, kneeling on the pavement, "Oh my god! Did I do this?"

Sam regained his wits, breathing heavily, "Dad?"

He shoves his father lightly, who is unresponsive, "Dad?"

Sam attempts to look over his shoulder, the pain almost unbearable,

"Ah...Jen? ...Dean?"

Jen is on the floor, the crushed car trapping her on the ground. Dean's head was smashed against the window, blood drenched their clothes and covered the seats.

"Dean? Dean!" Sam yells.

No one would respond, the only noise was the rumbling engine of the semi. Sam yelled out the window, "Call 911."

He got out of the car as the trucker ran to his semi. Sam had to climb out of the window, the door was jammed shut. He broke the back window and lifted Dean out and onto the pavement, grunting because of the weight. Sirens were starting to wail in the distance. When the first ambulance arrives, Sam runs over, stumbling,

"Help!"

The paramedic grabs ahold of Sam, "Sir we need you to calm down and come with us."

They ushered him towards one of the ambulances, and others started looking over the other three. They got Dean onto a stretcher,

"Significant passenger side intrusion. Unresponsive. BP is 180 over 60, heart rate 95, 95. We are going to need to cut the girl on the floor out."

Sam was struggling, "Tell me if they're okay?"

A woman yelled at him, "You have to stay still! You may injure yourself further if you keep moving."

"Are they even alive? Tell me if they are even alive."

Sam saw the saw begin to cut into the Impala's door in an attempt to get Jen out, but the door of the ambulance closed on him and pulled away.

* * *

Beep...Beep...Beep. I felt like I was underwater. Waves crashed through my ears, whooshing. I tried to open my eyes, but waves pushed me under again, deeper. The more I fought, the farther under I went. I was drowning. I fought, couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

* * *

At the hospital Sam was cleared within a few hours with a mild concussion and a few lacerations. Other than looking and feeling like shit, he was fine. Walking up to a nurse at the wing's desk,

"Hey, I, uh, came in here with two guys and a woman."

She looked up and smiled, "You were in the car crash?"

"Yeah. Where are they?"

"Are you next of kin?"

"Yeah. That's my dad, brother and uh, uh... sister-in-law."

She looked down at her files, flipping a couple papers, "Your father is resting. He had a broken shoulder, broken collarbone, a cracked hip and a concussion. Other than needing a few stitches and a cast he should be fine. Um..."

She trailed off, flipping through files,

"What about my brother?"

"Does your sister-in-law have any other family? If she does, we need to contact them."

"No. Just Dean and us. What about them?"

She hesitated, "Let me get a doctor."

She ran off and Sam was left there not knowing what the hell was happening. A few minutes later the nurse returned, trailed by a tall, dark haired man in a labcoat.

"Hi, I am Dr. James. The nurse said that you are next of kin on the car crash?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let's go sit down."

"I don't want to sit down!" Sam's voice was raising, "I want to know what the hell is going on!"

The doctor looked around nervously and sighed, "Come with me, son."

He ushered Sam to a nearby room.

"The girl should be fine eventually. Physically she is okay. Four cracked ribs, fractured wrist, there are a few cracks in her cheek bone. The worst of it is the internal bruising and the inside of her throat and esophagus have lacerations, but it will heal. The biggest thing is that she isn't waking up. If she wakes up, she should recover."

Sam nodded, "What about my brother?"

"Your brother is a different story. His injuries are similar to hers. Kidneys are really damaged, time will heal that. What I am really worried about is the head trauma. There are early signs of a cerebral edema."

"What does that mean?"

The doc hesitated,

"Most people with his condition haven't even survived this long. He is fighting, but we need to be realistic, he may never wake up. Right now he is on a respirator and we are monitoring his condition."

"No offense doc, you don't know my brother."

"Well, all we can do is hope for the best. Which leads me to my next question. Are your brother and your sister-in-law ex-military? Or what do they work in?"

"Why?"

"There have excessive scarring, bullet wounds and old injuries that have never completely healed."

Sam tried to dodge answering that question, "Yeah. Can I see him?

The doctor notices but doesn't push the issue, "Sure, this way."

* * *

In a room Dean sits up suddenly, stretching his jaw. He looks down and is only wearing a white t-shirt and blue hospital pants, and nothing else. He gets up and slowly walks out into the hallway,

_"Jen?... Sam?... Dad? Anybody?"_

Dean walks and finds the stairs, staggering down them, wincing. At the bottom there is a nurse's station.

_"Excuse me... Hi. I, uh, i think I was in a car accident, my dad and my brother and my, I guess, girlfriend, I just need to find them."_

The nurse doesn't even look up.

"_Hello?"_ Dean snaps his fingers in front of her face. She doesn't flinch.

_"Shit."_

Dean runs back up the stairs, panicked. He keeps running through doorways.

_"Shit. Shit. Shit."_

Finally he comes into a room where Sam is standing with the doctor. Dean looks past him and sees his body lying on the bed with a breathing machine and crap hooked up and beeping.

_"Sammy! You look good. Considering."_

Sam is looking at Dean's body, "Oh, no."

"_Man, tell me you can hear me. How's dad? Is he okay? Jen? Come on, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whispering or something!"_

Dean is standing right in front of Sam, jumping around. Sam never responds. A doctor entered, "Your father's awake. You can go see him if you like."

Dean sighed, relieved, "_Thank god."_

Sam jutted his chin at Dean, "Is there any change?"

"No, his condition hasn't changed."

"So he won't wake up?"

"Like I said the head trauma is severe. There is a very realistic chance that he is never going to wake up."

Dean scoffed, "_Oh, screw you, Doc, I'm waking up. Come on, Sam. Go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me. Sam?"_

Sam never responds and leaves the room. Dean follows him to John's room. John lies in a hospital bed, arm slung and casted. Awkwardly, he pulls a card out of his wallet,

"Here. Give them my insurance."

Sam took the card, reading it and laughing,

"Elroy McGillicutty?"

"And his two loving sons. So, what else did the doctor say about Dean?"

"Nothing. Look. The doctors won't do anything, then we'll have to, that's all. I don't know, I'll find some hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on him."

Dean smirked. John continued talking,

"We'll look for someone."

Sam nodded, "Yeah."

"But Sam, I don't know if we're gonna find anyone."

"Why not? I found that faith healer before. "

"Alright, that was, that was one in a million. "

Sam started getting pissed,"So what? Do we just sit here with our thumbs up our ass?"

"No, I said we'd look. All right? I'll check under every stone. .."

John pauses and then asks, "Where's the Colt?"

Sam started yelling, "Your son is dying, and you're worried about the Colt?"

"We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card."

"It's in the trunk. They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83."

John started to get worried, "All right. You've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside."

"I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out, he's gonna tow the Impala back to his place. "

"Alright. You, you go meet up with Bobby. You get that Colt, and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security."

Sam rolled his eyes, "I think I've got it covered. "

John hands a piece of paper that he has written on from the table next to him, " Here. I made a list of things I need, have Bobby pick them up for me. "

Sam started reading down the list, "Acacia? Oil of Abramelin? What's this stuff for?"

"Protection." John answered almost too quickly.

Sam got uncomfortable, "Hey, Dad? You know, the demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?"

"No, I don't."

Sam leaves, shutting the door behind him. Dean stares at his dad with his arms crossed,

"_Well, you sure know something. "_

Dean leaves, following his brother down the hall. Sam is striding for the exit when a nurse comes running down the hall after them.

"Sir!" She yells, Sam doesn't notice.

"Sir!" She catches up, running through Dean and grabbing Sam's shoulder. He turns, she is breathing heavily,

"The...girl, she is awake."

Dean whips around, "Jen?"

Sam follows the nurse down the hall to the room adjacent from Dean's. When they enter, they see Jen struggling against the hospital staff, confused and scared. They were trying to calm her down. She was pulling at the oxygen mask that was over her face.

"Dean!" She yelled, hysterical, choking on her own breath, her voice strained and hoarse. "Dean!"

She shoved one of the hospital attendants backward, they pushed her back toward the bed harder. Sam ran up and pulled them back,

"That's enough." They gave him a skeptical look and then backed away.

"Jen?" Her eyes wouldn't focus and she was terrified.

"Hey, Jen, it is okay. You are fine."

He finally saw the recognition in her face, her voice was raspy, "Sam? What the hell? Where's Dean?"

"Hey, hey, hey you need to calm down." The hospital staff was still hovering and she looked at them warily. Sam saw her starting and turned to them,

"Guys, give us a minute, she'll be fine." The hospital staff backed away slowly.

* * *

Beep. Beep. I fought again against the force on my chest, the darkness not letting my eyes open. Nothing but black. I pushed again. Again, and again. Finally I saw bright lights, something moved. I didn't know where I was, there was something on my face. I started to panic.

A hand pushed me back, "Easy, easy. Jennifer it is okay."

Fuck that shit. I started struggling, coughing "Get away from me."

More hands started pushing me back, hell no. I fought harder, ripping what was on my face off.

"Jennifer, you need to calm down."

"Dean!" I yelled, choking, "Dean!"

Everything was fuzzy, no defined shapes, the lights hurt my eyes, my throat was on fire, "Dean!"

A voice spoke and the hands pushing me down vanished.

"Jen?" Who the hell, get away.

Hands grabbed my shoulders. "Hey, Jen, it is okay. You are fine."

I tried to focus. I looked hard, listening "Sam? What the hell?"

I looked around, people in labcoats hovered behind him. Sam spoke again,

"Hey, hey, hey you need to calm down." He turned and let go of my shoulders, speaking to them. I didn't hear the words. Sam turned back to me,

"You are in the hospital Jen."

"Hospital? We were just in the cabin. The..." I trailed off realizing there were other people in the room. I looked around, the cabin, the demon. Then Impala and headlights, shit.

"Dean?"

Sam looked down, "Jen..."

"What's going on? Dean?"

I started to panic, fighting his grip. "Where is he?"

One of the nurses came up, "I'm sorry but we are going to have to sedate her to calm her down before she injures herself further."

I got angry, slipping out of Sam's grip, "Fuck off, I'm fine. You need to tell..."

I felt the darkness coming back, " ...Dean."

I couldn't see anything, nothing except black.

* * *

Dean had watched his brother try to comfort Jen. She was so drugged she didn't know up from down, but at least she was awake. When the hospital staff sedated Jen, Dean stayed there, watching her sleep. Sam headed off to get that stuff from Bobby.

When Sam arrived at the junkyard to meet Bobby he caught sight of what was left of the Impala, it was nothing but a stack of metal,

"Oh man, Dean is gonna be pissed. "

"Look, Sam. This... this just ain't worth a tow. I say we empty the trunk, sell the rest for scrap."

Sam shook his head, putting his hands in his pockets, "No. Dean would kill me if we did that. When he gets better he's gonna want to fix this."

"There's nothing to fix. The frame's a pretzel, and the engine's ruined. There's barely any parts worth salvaging."

"Listen to me, Bobby. If there's only one working part, that's enough. We're not just going to give up on..."

Bobby spoke quietly, understanding , "Okay. You got it. "

Sam pulled the sheet that John had written out of his pocket, "Here, uh, Dad asked for you to get this stuff for him."

Bobby read the list, "What's John want with this?"

"Protection from the demon?"

Bobby gave Sam a look.

"What is it Bobby?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just, uh - "

"Bobby? What's going on?" Sam asked sternly.

* * *

Back in the hospital Dean was in John's room, pacing, getting angrier at his dad's inability to act,

"_Come on, Dad. You've gotta help me. I've gotta get better, I've gotta get back in there. I mean, you haven't called a soul for help. You haven't even tried. Aren't you going to do anything? Aren't you even going to say anything?I've done everything you have ever asked me. Everything. I have given everything I've ever had. And you're just going to sit there and you're going to watch me die? I mean, what the hell kind of father are you?"_

John was just sitting there, looking through papers, Dean huffed _"Well fine then, if your gonna be such a chatty cathy..."_

Dean left, he was heading back down the hall to see if he could overhear anything more about Jen. She had slept after being sedated, and from what he heard, she was healing quickly. As he passed a window he noticed that it was dark outside, the hospital staff was few and far between. When he was almost to Jen's room he heard something moving inside. Peaking in, he saw that Jen was struggling with the tubes, swinging her bare feet to the floor.

"_C'mon Jen, now is not the time to be a stubborn ass."_

But of course, she couldn't see him, let alone hear him. She grabbed the pole with the IV and used it for support as she headed for the door,

"_C'mon, babe, get your ass back in the bed_."

As she walked past Dean saw the extent of her injuries. Bruises everywhere, glass cuts all over her face, jaw swollen. She wasn't able to stand upright, and her hand that had been stitched before was now in a hard cast. At the door she looks into the hallway for a beat, then sneaks across, gimping, leaning hard on the pole. Then opening and closing the door behind her. Dean followed, watching. Once in his room Jen grabbed the medical chart at the bottom of the bed, reading. He saw a couple of tears slide down her face and he wasn't sure if it was the pain or what she had just read. It was weird watching her look at his body when he wasn't there.

The ventilator and IVs that Dean's body was hooked to all went off one side of the bed. Jen crawled on the bed on her side and laid next to him, careful not to bump him. She touched her chin on his shoulder and put her hand over his, and closed her eyes. Just before she fell asleep Jen whispered in his ear,

"I love you too, I'm sorry that I didn't say it before."

"_I know_." Dean smiled a small smile, watching her fall asleep. He leaned up against a wall, arms folded until a whoosh of air in the hallway startles him. Dean walked out of the door and a white shape rushes past him. Dean jumps back and looks over at his body and Jen,

"_I take it you didn't see that_. "

Dean sprinted down the hallway, checking rooms. Finally he spots it turning a corner. Dean runs and finds a woman, lying on the floor choking,

"Help!" She chokes out.

Dean can't do anything to help her, "_ I need some help in here_!" He tries.

"I can't... breathe! " She keeps panting and eventually goes silent. Dean watched on helplessly as she died.

* * *

A few hours later, right after daybreak Sam arrived back. A nurse, when making her rounds had found Jen and kicked her back into her own room. But being the stubborn, pigheaded person she was, Jen insisted on walking down the hall to John's' room the second she heard Sam was back. Sam stalked into his father's room with a duffel bag, Dean ran after him, trying to get through the veil to him,

"_Sammy! Tell me you can friggin' hear me, man, there's something in the hospital. Now, you've got to bring me back and we've got to hunt this thing. Sam! Goddamit."_

Jen was sitting in the corner, Dean kneeled in front of her, "_Jen! C'mon. There is something here, we need to find it! Jen!"_

He stopped when he heard John's voice, "You're quiet."

Sam turns on his father, fuming and throws the bag across the room. Jen flinches at the noise,

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"What are you talking about?" John asks.

"That stuff from Bobby, you don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one. You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you? Having some stupid macho showdown?!"

"I have a plan, Sam"

"That's exactly my point! Dean is dying, and you have a plan! You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!"

Jen stood up, wincing, her voice still raw "Both of you, shut the hell up. I am so sick of this shit!"

Dean paces, _"No, no, no, guys, don't do this!"_

John looks at Sam, voice raising, "Do not tell me how I feel! I am doing this for Dean. "

"How? How is revenge going to help him? You're not thinking about anybody but yourself, it's the same selfish obsession!"

"You know, it's funny, I thought it was your obsession too! This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be part of this hunt. Now if you'd killed that damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened. "

"Dammit John, you don't know that!" Jen choked out, coughing.

He turned at her, "And if you would have done your damn job, my son wouldn't be dying."

"Fuck off John!"

Sam raised his voice over Jen, "It was possessing you, Dad, I would have killed you too."

"Yeah, and your brother would be awake right now. "

Dean was yelling, "_Shut up!"_

"Go to hell. "Sam told John

"I should have never taken you along in the first place. I knew it was a mistake, I knew I was wrong —"

_"I said SHUT UP!"_ Dean swings and smacks a glass of water off of the nearby table, it crashes to the floor. Sam, Jen and John look between each other. Dean is totally stunned,

"_Dude, I full-on Swayze'd that mother."_

Then a pain shot through his stomach. He flickers, there are nurses and doctors running down the hallway. Dean looks after them,

_"What is it?"_

John glances over at Sam, "Something's going on out there. Go find out."

But Sam is already behind Jen, who was trying her damndest to get down the hall. The doctors were all running into Dean's room.

"No!" She screams. There are monitors beeping uncontrollably, doctors are doing CPR on Dean's body.

"Dean!" Jen rushes into the room. A doctor turns and sees her.

"Get her the hell outta here."

Two guys grab Jen and pull her back, she struggles, knees one in the groin.

"Dean!" She is crying, fighting harder. Jen feels large arms pull around her chest,

"Guys, I got this." Jen turns her head to see Sam restraining her.

"Sam?" There are tears in his eyes, she turns to him and he hugs her.

"Still no pulse." A nurse says.

"Okay, let's go again, 360."

"Charging."

Jen is sobbing. Dean walks up behind them and sees a white, ghostly figure floating over his body.

_"You get the hell away from me!"_ He runs to the thing, and keeps yelling,

_"I said get back!"_

Dean grabs the spirit and latches onto it, struggling hard. It stops and hurls him back against the wall and disappears out of the room. The monitors begin to slow and quiet down. The nurse speaks,

"We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm."

Dean runs for the hall, looking to see if the spirit is still there, but it is long gone. He turns beside him to see his brother and his best friend sigh with relief.

_"Don't worry, guys. I'm not going anywhere. I'm getting that thing before it gets me. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it. "_

Jen and Sam look over to where Dean's spirit is standing and then look back at each other, confused. Dean breathed heavily, and then heard someone, a girls voice, yelling from down the hall,

_"Can't you see me? Why won't you look at me?"_ She keeps walking by people, yelling, screaming in their faces.

_"Somebody talk to me! Say something, please!"_

Dean walks to where she is, "_Can you see me?"_

She looks him up and down, "Yeah. "

Dean exhales, "_Finally...All right, just, uh, calm down. What's your name?"_

"_Tessa."_

_"Okay, good, Tessa, I'm Dean."_

_"What's happening to me? Am - am I dead?"_

Dean laughs uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck, "_Well...That sort of depends...Where is your room at?"_

Tessa guides him down the corridor to a room, they stand outside. Inside there is a woman sitting by the bed, holding Tessa's hand. Her body is hooked up to tubes and machines,

_"I don't understand. I just came in for an appendectomy."_

_"Well, I hate to bear bad news, but I think there were some complications. "_

Tessa started to breathe heavily, _"It's just a dream, that's all. It's just a very weird, unbelievably vivid dream."_

Dean spoke firmly, _"Tessa. It's not a dream."_

_"Then what else could it be?"_

Dean paused, sighed, _"You ever heard of an out of body experience?"_

She scoffed, _"What are you, some new agey guy?"_

_"You see me messing with crystals or listening to Yanni? It's actually a very old idea. Got a lot of different names: Bilocation, crisis apparition, fetches... I think it's happening to us. And if it is, it means that we're spirits of people close to death. "_

Tessa became nervous, _"So we're going to die?"_

Dean shook his head, "_No. Not if we hold on. Our bodies can get better, we can snap right back in there and wake up. "_

* * *

Jen and Sam were in John's room and they were finishing explaining what happened to Dean. Sam shifted nervously at the last part,

"...Then..." he looked to Jen and swallowed hard, "...We felt something."

"What do you mean, you felt something?"John asked.

"I mean it felt like, like Dean. Like he was there, just out of eyeshot or something. I don't know if it's my psychic thing or what, it... But do you think it's even possible? I mean, do you think his spirit could be around?"

John nodded his head thoughtfully, "Anything's possible. What do you think Jen?"

She shrugged, "It felt like he was there, something was there. I know that much."

"How sure are you that it was Dean."

Jen sighed, "I'm no expert, but gut feel...ninety, ninety-five percent."

Sam started rushing out of the room, "Well, there's one way to find out."

John yelled after him, "Where are you going?"

"I gotta pick something up. I'll be back."

"Wait, Sam. I promise I won't hunt this demon. Not until we know Dean's okay. "

Jen leaned against the wall as Sam left, "Sure you won't."

John shot her a look. Jen wrinkled her nose at him and avoided eye contact. She hated being stuck in this damn hospital.

* * *

Dean and Tessa were walking along the hall by her room, talking

_"I gotta say, I'm impressed. "_

_"With what_?" Tessa asked.

_"With you. Most people in your spot would be jello right now, but uh, you're taking this pretty well. Maybe a little better than me. "_

She thought for a moment and then stopped, facing Dean, _"Don't get me wrong. I was pretty freaked at first. But now, I don't know. Maybe I'm dealing."_

_"So you're okay with dying?"_

_"No, of course not. I just think, whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen. It's out of my control, it's fate._ "

Dean shook his head,_ "Huh. Well, that's bullshit. You always have a choice. You can either roll over and die or you can keep fighting, no matter what —"_

Dean was cut off by the PA announcer, "Room 237, code blue. Dr. Kripke to room 237, code blue. "

Dean took off running up the stairs,

_"Where are you going?"_ Tessa yelled after him

Dean sprinted down the second floor hall. Near the end there is a room with doctors rushing in. They are hitting her with the defibrillator. The same spirit as before hovers over the young girls body. It reaches a hand down to her face,

_"Get away from her!"_ He grabs for the spirit but it vanishes. The machines flatline.

"All right, let's call it. " A doctor speaks.

"Time of death, five eleven p.m."

Dean stood there, completely frozen and stunned. He knew exactly what was running around the hospital.

* * *

"Jen?" Sam entered my room. "You awake?"

"What the hell else am I gonna do?"

"Good point. I think I have a way to talk to Dean. You want in?"

I jumped up the best I could off my bed. I could feel all my freaking joints cracking. My chest felt like I had been hit by a bus, all the cuts burned, my throat was raw. Everything just hurt, but that was what pain meds were for. I followed Sam into Dean's room, he had a paper bag.

"What's in the bag?"

Sam closed the door behind me, clutching the bag in his arms. He looks over at Dean,

"Hey. I think maybe you're around. And if you are, don't make fun of me for this, but um, well, there's one way we can talk. "

Out of the bag he pulls a box that says, Mystical Talking Board.

I laugh, "A fucking ouija board? Are you on crack?"

Sam shoots me a look, "Dean? Dean, are you here?"

He sets the board on the ground and sits cross-legged, hands on the pointer.

"Sam, seriously? Are we thirteen year old girls at a slumber party? This is how you fuck with people, not..."

Just as I said it the damn pointer slowly moved to 'YES'

"Son of a bitch." I said going to stand behind Sam who started laughing,

" It's good to hear from you, man. It hasn't been the same without you, Dean."

I just stood there, shaking my head and smiling like a retard. The pointer begins to move again. 'H'.'U'

I got excited, "Sam do you think he means hunting?"

The pointer slid to 'YES'.

"Un-freaking real" I said under my breath.

Sam talked over me, "It's in the hospital, what you're hunting? Do, do you know what it is?"

I kicked him lightly in the back, "One question at a time numb-nuts."

Sam breathed in and out, "What is it?"

'R'-'E'-'A'-'P'

My stomach dropped, this wasn't exactly something you could hunt, "Reaper?" I whispered, grabbing John's journal out of Dean's effects.

Sam kept at it, "A reaper. Dean. Is it after you?"

The pointer moved to 'YES'

"Shit."

Sam shook his head, "If it's here naturally, there's no way to stop it. "

"Sam you just can't kill death." I said slowly.

"Man, you're, um...No. No, no, no, um, there's gotta be a way. Dad will know what to do"

Sam starts pacing and I feel like I am going to be sick. You can't kill something that isn't alive, you can't kill death. I slouched down into the chair by Dean's body clutching the journal, ignoring the pain in my bones that was replaced by different pain: reality. I sat, staring into space. Once I got a grip on myself, I started flipping through the journal again.

Sam walked back in, "Dad is gone, he took off."

"Shit, looks like we are on our own."

* * *

John moved through the dark and damp underground of the hospital. Finally he comes to a boiler room, picking the lock he pushes his way in. John places his duffel bag down, rummaging through it. He takes out a piece of white chalk and begins to draw symbols on the floor. When he finishes the symbol, John begins lighting candles, and places a bowl with the things that Bobby had procured within the symbol, speaking in Latin. He takes out a knife, cuts his palm, allowing the blood to flow into the contents of the bowl. The substance flashes quickly, catching fire and then extinguishing itself. John stands, looking around. He jumps when a hand grabs his shoulder,

"What the hell are you doing down here, buddy?" A man in a janitor's uniform ask.

"I can explain."

"Yeah? You're going to explain to security. Come on. You follow me." The man heads down the corridor.

John falls behind and pulls the colt out, cocking it, "Hey. How stupid do you think I am?"

The man turns, his eyes glow yellow, and winks,"You really want an honest answer to that?"

Two men in lab coats and black eyes flank John, standing, waiting for orders, Yellow eyes sniggers,

"You conjuring me, John. I'm surprised. I took you for a lot of things. But suicidally reckless wasn't one of them."

John smiles, twisting the gun, "I could always shoot you. "

Yellow Eyes laughs, "You could always miss. And you've only got one try, don'tcha? Did you really think you could trap me?"

"Oh, I don't want to trap you..." John lowers the gun, "... I want to make a deal."

Yellow eyes' smile disappears and he looks John up and down, "It's very unseemly, making deals with devils. How do I know this isn't just another trick?"

John shrugged, "It's no trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullet, but you've got to help Dean. You've got to bring him back. "

The demon's lips curled, showing his teeth, "Why, John, you're a sentimentalist. If only your boys knew how much their daddy loved them. "

John ignores him, "It's a good trade. You care a hell of a lot more about this gun than you do Dean. "

"Don't be so sure Johnny boy. He killed some people very special to me. But still, you're right, he isn't much of a threat. And neither is your other son...You know the truth, right? About Sammy?... And the other children?"

John lowers his head, "Yeah. I've known for a while. "

The demon knew he struck a nerve, "But Sam doesn't, does he? You've been playing dumb. "

John changes the subject, "Can you bring Dean back? Yes or no?"

"No. But I know someone who can. it's not a problem. " He shrugs.

"Good...Before I give you the gun, I'm going to want to make sure that Dean's okay. With my own eyes. "

"Oh, Johnny, I'm offended. Don't you trust me?"

When John shakes his head, the demon rolls his yellow eyes,

"Fine then."

"So we have a deal?"

The demon''s face drawn into a small smirk, "No, John, not yet. You still need to sweeten the pot."

"With what?"

The smile was now full, "There's something else I want, as much as that gun. Maybe more."

* * *

"You said something about Dean almost dying before. What happened?" Jen looked up from the journal.

Sam chuckled uncomfortably, "Yeah we were on this case and Dean's heart got damaged by a taser that we had jacked up. So he had like weeks to live and I found this faith healer."

"Why can't we do that again?"

"Well... it turns out he, well his wife, was binding a reaper and trading one life for another. So... that's not exactly an option."

"Oh." She turned back to the book. Dean watched Jen and Sam flip through page after page, he read over their shoulders,

_"Thanks for not giving up on me"_

Jen turns to another page in the journal, rubbing her eyes because it is well after one in the morning. Dean reads,

_"Son of a bitch. "_ He says under his breath and turns and stalks down the hall, looking into rooms. Finally he comes to a room where Tessa is sitting on an empty bed. Instead of the hospital clothes she wore earlier, she was dressed in a blue business suit.

_"Hi, Dean."_ She speaks softly.

Dean's throat tightens, fighting the rush of sadness and frustration,

_"You know, you read the most interesting things. For example, did you know that reapers can alter human perception? I sure didn't. Basically they can make themselves appear however they want. Like, say, uh, a pretty girl. You are much prettier than the last reaper I met. "_

Tessa nodded slowly, "_I was wondering when you would figure it out. "_

_"I should have known. That whole "accepting fate" rap of yours is far too laid back for a dead chick. But the mother, and the body, I'm still trying to figure that one out. "_

_"It's my sandbox, I can make you see whatever I want. "_

Dean turns away and leans on a chair, gripping it tightly, "_What, is this like a turn-on for you? What, toying with me?"_

_"You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and you flipped out. Kinda hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me. "_

Dean turned back to her, _"Okay, fine. We're talking. What the hell do you want to talk about?"_

Tessa gets up and puts her hand on Dean's cheek, _"How death is nothing to fear. It's your time to go, Dean. And you're living on borrowed time already. "_

Dean grabbed her wrist and removed her hand, _"Look, I'm sure you've heard this before, but... you've gotta make an exception, you've gotta cut me a break. "_

_"Stage three: bargaining."_

Dean raised his voice, "_I'm serious. My family's in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this, um, war, and they need me. I have people who need me!"_

_"The fight's over."_

_"No, it isn't. "_

_"It is for you. Dean. You're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field. They all feel the same. They can't leave. Victory hangs in the balance. But they're wrong. The battle goes on without them. "_

_"My brother. He could die without me. Jen... I finally have something else..."_

_"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Your friend will move on. Nothing you can do about it. It's an honorable death. A warrior's death."_

Dean chuckled uncomfortably _"I think I'll pass on the seventy two virgins, thanks. I'm not that into prude chicks anyway."_

Tessa laughed lightly, _"That's funny. You're very cute. "_

Dan started to yell, choking on his own voice,

"_There's no such thing as an honorable death. My corpse is going to rot in the ground and my family is going to die! No. I'm not going with you, I don't care what you do."_

She nodded, _"Well, like you said. There's always a choice. I can't make you come with me. But you're not getting back in your body. And that's just facts. So yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years. Disembodied, scared, and over the decades it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent."_

_"What are you saying?"_

_"Dean. How do you think angry spirits are born? They can't let go and they can't move on. And you're about to become one. The same thing you hunt. "_

Dean sits down on the bed, thinking. Tessa sits behind him, watching.

_"It's time to put the pain behind you._ "

Dean shakes his head, "_And go where?"_

_"Sorry. I can't give away the big punchline. Moment of truth. No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be?"_

Dean turns to talk to her. As he does the lights flicker, buzzing begins. A few fixtures, snap and pop, bulbs exploding,

"_What are you doing that for?"_

Tessa shook her head, scared, "_I'm not doing it._ "

Dean turns, looking for the source. Black smoke comes out of the vent,

"_What the hell?"_ Dean backs away.

Tessa begins screaming, _"You can't do this! Get away!"_

_"What's happening?"_

The black smoke pushes its way down Tessa's throat, she coughs and chokes, doubling over. She turns to Dean, eyes glowing yellow,

_"Today's your lucky day, kid."_

The demon places Tessa's hand on Dean's forehead. His body convulses, blacking out.

* * *

Jen had fallen asleep with her head on Dean's bed, her hand over his. Sam was sitting in the corner with his laptop, scrolling through website after useless website. He was starting to nod off.

Suddenly Dean jerks upward, choking on the tube in his throat. Jen falls backwards in surprise and Sam jumps up,

"Dean? " Sam runs to the hallway, yelling "Help! I need help!"

Nurses came running in with the on staff doctor. Jen was trying to push Dean back down and keep him from pulling the tube out of his throat himself. Dean was panicking because the last thing he remembered was the headlights coming through the window of the Impala.

* * *

Dr. James was looking over the tests that Dean had undergone all morning.,

"I can't explain it. The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good. You have some kind of angel watching over you. "

Dean nodded, "Thanks, doc."

The doctor turned to Jen "You on the other hand still have cracked ribs and bruising. The good news is that you are healing at a rate I have never seen before. It looks like these injuries happened over a week ago… I don't understand, but..."

Jen nodded, "So does that mean I get to leave."

"I will do the paperwork and you guys should be outta here by the end of the day." Dr. James left, closing the door behind him.

Dean turned to Jen and Sam, "So you guys said a Reaper was after me?"

Jen nodded. Dean's brow furrowed,

"How'd I ditch it?"

Sam shrugged, "You got me. Dean, you really don't remember anything?"

"No. Except this pit in my stomach. Sam, something's wrong. "

Jen laughed dryly, "Try living with that feeling all the time."

Dean looked up at her, she half smiled back. Everyone jumped at the knock on the door. John walked in,

"How you feeling, dude?"

Dean swallowed and nodded, "Fine, I guess. I'm alive."

John sighed, "That's what matters."

Sam was angry, "Where were you last night?"

John kept his voice even, "I had some things to take care of. "

Sam rolled his eyes, "Well, that's specific. "

"Come on, Sam. " Dean said quietly, he didn't feel like fighting right now.

"Did you go after the demon?"

"No."

"You know, why don't I believe you right now?"

John just looked at his son and spoke quietly,

"Can we not fight? You know, half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads. Sammy, I, I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?"

Sam was taken aback, "Dad, are you all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired. Hey, son, would you, uh, would you mind getting me a cup of caffeine?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. " Sam walked out of the room. John looked at Jen, she stood there with her arms crossed, she wasn't moving. He went and sat on the edge of Dean's bed. John sighed, looking back at Dean,

"You know, when you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt, and after what I'd seen, I'd be, I'd be wrecked. And you, you'd come up to me and you, you'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd... You'd say "It's okay, Dad" Dean, I'm sorry."

Dean made a face, confused, "What?"

"You shouldn't have had to say that to me, I should have been saying that to you. You know, I put, I put too much on your shoulders, I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy, you took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know that I am so proud of you."

Dean scoffed, surprised, in awe, "This really you talking?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's really me." He turned to Jen, standing up, facing her,

"Listen, I'm... I'm sorry for treating you the way that I did. I was just so focused on getting this thing and protecting my boys..."

He trailed off, uncomfortably, not knowing what to say to her. Jen nodded and extended her hand. John looked for a moment, took it and shook,

"It's alright John."

"Why are you saying this stuff?" Dean asked

John went back beside him, "I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay?"

Dean nodded, nervous, "Yeah, dad, you know I will. You're scaring me."

John grabbed his shoulder, "Don't be scared, Dean. "

John leaned in and whispered something into Dean's ear. Dean jerks away, processing what he has just been told. John backs away and leaves the room.

"Dean?" Jen asks.

"Its nothing." Dean stated, not committed to what he just said. Jen just nods, letting him be.

* * *

John was standing in front of a nurses station, he placed the colt on the counter,

"Okay."

Sam came around the corner and watches John fall to the floor,

"Dad?!" Sam drops the coffee and runs to John's body, screaming for help. Nurses come and pull him off, getting John onto a gurney, wheeling him to a room. Dean and Jen hear the commotion and come sprinting out.

"What is it Sam?" Jen asked. Sam pointed to the doctors wheeling John down the hall. They all trotted after and were standing in the doorway as the doctors attempted to resuscitate John.

Dean kept mumbling, pleading, "No, no, no, it's our dad. It's our dad! Come on."

One of the doctors looked up, "Okay, stop compressions."

Dean swallowed hard, turning and grabbing Jen, pulling her into a bear hug. His chin on her head. He was shaking.

A nurse spoke, "Still no pulse."

The doctor replied, "okay, that's it everybody I'll call it. Time of death: 10:41 am."


	17. AD

**A/N- Hey thanks for reading again. Just want to throw out a little disclaimer...I had to get some fluff out of my system. Warning, one part there is a little smut, but it isn't too overly explicit. If you really must skip it, most of the crucial information is given before the fluff and in the last section. Enjoy.**

* * *

It was dark; no moon, overcast. We were standing in a clearing way off the beaten path. Sam stood next to Dean who stood shoulder to shoulder with me. He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and struck the flint, tossing it into the pile in front of him. The pire that contained the body of John Winchester. We stood in silence, watching the body burn. I looked over, Sam's face ran with tears and Dean's jaw was set, hard. I slipped my hand into his, and he responded, but never took his eyes from the fire. I wasn't Johns biggest fan but it sucked to see someone die 'because of the job. Sam finally broke the quiet,

"Did Dad say anything to you before?"

Dean shook his head, "No."

We stood there as the smell became overwhelming, we stood as the branches buckled and became coals. We stood as day broke and the coals became ash.

* * *

**Three Days Later: Singer Auto**

I woke up on the couch at Bobby's, book on my chest, papers everywhere. It was right before dawn. We had spent the last few nights here; Sam was looking for a new case, or at least something to do, Dean worked on the Impala, salvaging what parts of her he could. Me and Bobby? We had been trying to figure out what the hell the demon meant by guardian. So far? Jack shit.

I dropped the book on the couch and made a pot of coffee. Stretching, I felt the pain in my chest, my throat was still pretty raw. I was sipping my first cup when I noticed a light out in the yard. Dean must have been working on that damn car all night. He really hadn't slept since John died. Honestly, he hadn't done much of anything other than drink and work on the Impala. I think he might have had a nap in the last few days, if that. I grab a cup of black coffee, slip on my boots and head outside. When I approach the pile of metal, Dean is underneath it, knees and lower legs sticking out.

"Dean?"

I hear something crash, "Shit!"

He slides out from under the car and looks over, I hold the cup out, he gets up and takes it.

"Thanks" He sipped it but didn't say anything else. I rubbed the back of my neck, debating,

"Do you need any help"

He swallowed and shook his head, "Nah, maybe later. Right now, I'm trying to get the frame fixed."

" 'Kay."

We stood in silence, I really wanted to ask how he was doing, but I knew that would just piss him off. He needed time, but he also needed sleep and a half decent meal.

"Did you guys find anything yet?"

I shook my head and shrugged, "Bobby said he might be on to something. I can't find shit. Yellow eyes might have just been jerking our chain."

Dean nodded, I sighed, "Dean, not to sound bitchy, but you need to sleep. You need to eat, and you can't just live on booze and coffee."

"Dammit Jen, not you too. I have Sam up my ass, asking if I am okay. Bobby just keeps avoiding talking to me much, and now you..."

I looked over at him, "Listen, I'm not doing this out of pity or any bullshit like that. People need sleep, I will leave you alone to work on the car but..."

"But what?"

"Jesus, Dean. I'm sick of having to tiptoe around you. You need to grow up and deal with this shit, I get that you have this thing where 'You gotta be strong for Sammy' but come on. This is me we are talking about."

Dean was getting pissed, "Okay fine, let's pop a bottle of wine, watch chick flicks and talk about our feelings."

"That isn't what I am saying. I just mean you can't ignore that other people exist."

"I will let you know if I need any help." He kneeled down and disappeared back under the car.

By the time I walked back in the house, Bobby was up and sitting behind his desk, he looks up,

"How's he doin'"

"The gist? He basically told me to fuck off."

"Dean has always been like that, Jen. He will come around."

"You find anything?" I nodded to the books on the desk.

"I dunno, maybe. See there are traces of that everywhere, but nothing specific"

"Well what do you think? Is it legit?"

"Jen, I think there is a definite possibility that it is, but I have no idea what it means."

I looked down, "Am I , uh..."

"You are not a monster Jen. You are a human, and nothing I read has said otherwise. I wouldn't get too concerned."

I was relieved. For the last few days I had been wondering if I was something that I would be normally hunting. I flopped down on the couch and picked up where I had left off in this old book. Eventually, Sam rumbled down the steps. Morning turns to afternoon and afternoon to early evening. Dean rolled in when we ordered some pizza. I chowed down, no one talked. Dean went back outside, Sam disappeared up the stairs and Bobby went back to work on the papers. This was how life had been since we had arrived at Bobby's. This is how it continued for two more days.

* * *

I hadn't slept since the couch, I was draggin ass, functioning solely because of the grace of coffee. I was thinking about maybe taking a road trip with someone and going to get my car. It would be safe here at Bobby's and it would give us something to drive other than the junkers while Dean fixed the Impala. But on the other hand I just wanted to sleep for a few hours. I wanted to find something, I wanted to know that I wasn't some freak.

"Hey Jen..." Bobby started

"Hmmm?"

"I think I got something, not solid or complete, but something."

"What is it?"

"You better call the boys."

Once we were all in the living room, Bobby began talking,

"I think I found something about these guardians...It is really old, especially what the demon called Jen. It translates to something like 'guardian of freedom, humanity and blessed truth'."

I snorted, "Yeah fucking right. Have you seen how I live, I'm not exactly a poster child for a well balanced person."

"Well...that's the thing. Guardians aren't supposed to be. They are here to do a job, to protect at all costs. They are meant to be pitbulls. They do what needs to be done."

Dean looked up from the chair he was sitting on, "The demon said it had to do with me."

Bobby shrugged, "It doesn't say, as far as I can tell, that a guardian is attached solely to one person, rather what they represent. Like I told you before, you guys stepped into some deep shit."

I sighed, "So what?"

Bobby looked at me, "So what? What?"

"So what does any of this mean?"

He reached behind him and grabbed a book, "So guardians tend to be smart, faster, strong. They are meant to do a job and are equipped with the facilities to do so."

Sam spoke up, "That's why you are healing so fast."

"But I'm still in a fuck ton of pain."

Dean looked over at me, then back to Bobby, "Where did you find this stuff?"

"Like I said really old, real obscure, mostly though, Biblical."

Dean and I scoffed. Bobby looked at us seriously,

"Guys... Aaron, possibly Noah, Ruth, freaking Mary and Mary were supposedly these guardians. They aren't something we need to joke about. Then outside of them I would probably go as far to say that there are some historic people that are as well, but i will have to do some more research. But it seems that the people that they guard they have jobs that need done. Guardians help to ensure that it happens."

I let it sink in for a little while. Bobby broke the silence,

"Before we get too upset, I want to do more research before you start getting too worried over it. Though when the demon said you were incorruptible, he meant it."

I looked at Bobby and waited for the answer, he grabbed a book and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Now this is translated but, 'the guardian cannot be corrupted by the forces of either Heaven or Hell. The demons of the pit nor the angles of the Kingdom may not control the body in which the soul resides.'"

"That means?"

Bobby closed the book, "It means that you can't be possessed."

I nodded and just went upstairs, and slouched on a bed. I didn't want to be important, and for all I knew, this was bullshit. But a little part of my brain knew better, and that part wouldn't shut up. All I wanted to do was chase down monsters, hunt ghosts, and drink beer and eat cheap food. I just laid on my side, looking at my casted wrist. Thinking. I heard someone come into the room, I didn't look up. Dean came across the room and laid down behind me on the bed, wrapping his arm around my stomach and tightened. My ribs protested,

"Ouch... Get off of me."

Dean takes his arm away, "Well I didn't expect that reaction for at least another year."

He sat up and I could feel him watching me,

"Here." He said softly and got up, moving in front of me, "Scoot."

I moved back so he could lay down, Dean sprawled out, and pulled me against his side. I put my casted arm on his chest and laid halfway over him, putting my one leg over his. My head on his shoulder. He started playing with my fingers, I winced.

"Am I hurting you?"

"Not really, it is just a little sore."

He stopped and just put his hand over mine, "Hey Jen...I'm...sorry I am an ass. "

"Don't worry about it." I just watched his hand.

"No, I forgot that you have this shit going on too."

"Its fine." I paused, "What do you think it means?"

He pulled my chin up so that I was looking at him, "It doesn't mean shit. I don't buy into that fate BS...Are you upset or hurting?"

I knew my nose was scrunched, "A little of both. I just want stuff to happen because it is my choice, and I thought it was... but even your Dad thought..."

Dean cut me off, "My Dad was a horse's ass, he had no idea..."

Dean let my chin go and went back to my hand, I just nuzzled into his side and closed my eyes.

"How is the car coming?"

"Its coming around. It was really totaled. Might take a few weeks."

"Do you want me to go get my car?"

I felt him shrug, "Maybe... We could see if Bobby and Sam would go get it, I could use some help finding parts for under the hood, and Sam doesn't know a carburetor from a spark plug."

I just nodded, my mind was trying to process stuff, but nothing was computing. I was freaking tired and frustrated and just done with this bullshit. Dean pulled the covers over my shoulders and I fell asleep.

* * *

Sam had stayed with Bobby downstairs after Dean had disappeared up the stairs. Bobby was still flipping through books.

"Bobby? What aren't you telling them?"

"What do you mean?"

Sam chuckled, "You don't do half assed research."

Bobby sighed, "Well I found some stuff and I'm not sure if it is true or not, because it doesn't happen in all cases...I really can't find any solid proof..."

"Bobby?"

He tossed the book across the table in frustration, "You guys said the demon said that it was in her DNA to protect him?"

Sam nodded, "That's right"

"It might not be so literal, but she might be connected to his actual life. I found this one thing where it talks about how a guardian's life is defined by its purpose, and that could mean..."

Sam looked forward, staring out the window, "That if Dean's life ceases to exist, so might hers."

Bobby shrugged, "I can't tell if it is a spell or what, but I don't want to get either of them scared for no reason."

* * *

A crack of thunder and lightning jolted Dean awake. He had been having shitty dreams and wasn't sleeping very well anyway. He looked down and saw Jen curled up, twitching in her sleep . She was a freaking heat box because wherever her body touched him he was almost too warm. It was pouring rain outside and the wind was moaning. There was another crack of thunder and Dean jumped,

"Son of a bitch." He said under his breath.

He heard a mumble, "You 'kay?"

Jen was rubbing her eyes, Dean sighed and relaxed back into the pillows,

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."

" 's okay." Jen yawned out and looked at the radio clock beside the bed, 3:46AM. She groaned, and curled closer to his side. Dean rolled her off so he could just lay on his side and face her.

"Sorry, you are going to give me a heatstroke."

"Its fine."

They were laying nose to nose, Dean reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. Then he kissed her lightly, pushing against her lips. She put her hands on his chest and he put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He could tell she was still half asleep, Dean pulled back and just looked at her face. A small smile crossed his lips. Jen curled up, head into his chest and dozed back off. Dean rested his chin on her hair. The sound of her even breathing lulled him to sleep.

Dawn came and light began to creep through the cracks in the curtains. The light caused Jen to stir slowly. She opens her eyes, her face buried in Dean's chest. She groans and stretches, the soreness in her ribs causing her to inhale sharply. Jen looks up at Dean's face. He is snoring softly, arms wrapped around her. She presses her forehead into his chest, he smelt like gasoline and automotive oil. Jen just lies there, until Dean moves a little. She turns her head and kisses the inside of his upper arm.

"Hmm?" He groans sleepily. Then looks down at Jen and smiles softly, burying his lips into her hair. He ran his hand up her side lightly, careful not to push against her ribs. His hand trailed to her face. Jen reached her face up and kissed him deeply. He broke it first, totally breathless. He studied her face, the small cuts that were healing, the messy bedhead that for some reason was hot as hell. Her eyes that were green and brown at the same time.

"What?" Jen asked.

Dean just shook his head and flopped over on his back, pulling her halfway over his chest. Jen put her weight on her good arm and bent over his face, kissing him, pressing down toward the bed. Her hair fell over his face, tickling his neck and cheek. Dean reached up, putting his hand under her hair where her jaw and neck met. Jen moved back and Dean just stared up at her, pushing her hair behind her ear, she smiled slowly. Then she laid across his chest and he held her there, neither saying a word.

* * *

I walked downstairs and Sam and Bobby were flipping through papers,

"Morning." I said as I poured some coffee. Sam looked up, Bobby just waved his hand. Alrighty then. Apparently no one was in a chatty mood. I heard Dean come down the stairs. He entered the kitchen. I raised my cup at him and rolled my eyes. He looked at his brother and Bobby and just shook his head.

"Hey guys, Jen and me were talking… Maybe we should go get the Camaro so we have something until I get Baby fixed up…"

Sam looked up and shrugged, " Yeah sure."

Then he looked down and kept writing. Dean looked over at me and I shrugged, Dean cleared his throat,

"I was thinking maybe you and Bobby could pick it up? I need help with the car today, Jen knows what she is doing, and you could use some time away from those books…"

Sam glanced up at his brother, sighed, "Yeah sure, I guess. I mean I was looking for some work to do, but we need a car."

"Bobby?" I asked.

"Sure kid, whatever you need."

Not ten minutes later, him and Sam were out the door. Driving almost to Illinois in Bobby's '66 Chevelle. It was just me and Dean until tomorrow afternoon.

"You gonna help me with the car or not?" Dean asked, walking out the door.

"I told you I would."

We spent most of the day going wading through the mud from the storm. Bobby had piles upon piles of parts laying around. By mid-afternoon we were both caked with mud but had found most of the parts that Dean needed for under the hood of the car. He wasn't going to work on it until the ground dried up a little bit, 'cause it was even too muddy to try to pull it into the garage.

We headed inside and I called and ordered Chinese from town: General Tso's for me and Sweet and Sour Chicken for Dean. I went, showered and changed into clean clothes. By the time I made it back downstairs, Dean had changed and the food had came. I chowed down, scarfing up the chicken and the rice. Dean did the same, neither of us had had a decent meal in two days. I was polishing my last bite off with some tea when Dean pointed to the fridge, swallowing,

"There any of that apple pie left?"

I shrugged, and got up, "There should be, at least there was some last night."

I opened the door. Shit. Sam and Bobby must have eaten a couple of pieces because there was only one slice left. I shut the door and stood in front, leaning on it

"Uh, there isn't any left."

Dean looked me up and down,

"Really?" He said coyly as he got up and stalked toward me.

I shook my head, "Nope, none left. "

"Uh-huh," He stopped in the middle of the kitchen, watching me. I opened the fridge quickly and grabbed the plate with the slice on it. I grabbed some of it with my hand and ate it,

"Mine now."

Dean laughed, "You little shit."

He lunged at me and I sidestepped, sprinting for the door into the study, and beyond that the stairs. I heard the footsteps behind me, I laughed, still racing for the stairs. I ran around stack of books and clutter. When I hit the bottom step, I felt arms wrap around my waist, lifting me off my feet. I screeched.

"No." I protested.

"Um...yes!" Dean laughed. He pulled me around, I grabbed the remainder of the pie in my hand and when I was turned to him reached up smeared it all over his face. Dean looked so surprised, I bit my bottom lip, trying not to laugh,

"It's pretty good. Isn't it?" I started to snort as the words came out of my mouth. Dean smiled slowly, shaking his head, not removing his arms from around my waist. I was standing on the first step so I was actually almost eye level with him. He pulled me closer and started to kiss me,

I giggled, " No... It is freaking sticky."

He was still trying to kiss my mouth, "You wanted the pie. And admit it, sticky is your kinda thing."

"Stop it." I pushed his chest non-committedly. Dean sensed that right away and kissed my lips again, stifling my giggles and protests. The chunks of apple and the gooey stuff was all over my face now. But Dean wasn't finished with his revenge because the next thing he did as bury his face into my neck. I pushed his shoulders,

"Okay, okay, you win." Dean brought his face up and smiled, there was pie crust still on his face. He looked me over for a second and then let go, doubling over laughing. The laughter was contagious, because I started too. What a couple of idiots covered in pie filling. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the kitchen. I reached in the sink and grabbed a rag, wetting it down. I turned to Dean and he just licked his lips, I rolled my eyes and shook my head, smiling. He moved up to me, backing me into the counter,

"Dean?" He smiled, again, then reached down and grabbed my legs, right under my ass and lifted me onto the counter, so that my knees were on either side of his body. He leaned in to kiss me again, I wrapped my good arm around his neck pulling myself up to him, pushing my body against his. My ribs screamed, but they can screw off right now. Eventually, I broke it and was seeing double when I pulled away. I still had the rag in my hand and I reached up and started wiping the pie off his face. Dean just watched me as I did it, rubbing his hands up my back or down my legs. I focused on anything but his eyes. His scruff was starting to grow in, he must not have shaved in the last few days. His jaw kept fighting a smile. I finally got the last of the cinnamon goo off,

"There." I leaned over to the sink and rinsed the rag off, Dean kept his hands on my side and my leg. I scooted toward the sink so I could wash my face off, but he pulled me upright,

"Uh-uh." He reached into my hand and grabbed the rag in one hand and my chin in the other and started wiping off my face. I stuck my tongue out at him and scrunched my nose. Dean chuckled under his breath but continued. I looked everywhere but at him, I started to blush, I could feel it spreading from my face down my neck. Dean pulled my chin up and wiped the filling from my neck and down to my shoulder. He tossed the rag into the sink. I finally looked at him, he raised his eyebrows, then winked at me. He placed his hands on my thighs, right above my knees and leaned on them,

"What do you want to do the rest of the night?"

I shook my head, "I dunno. I'm so sick of doing research and reading, just chillin' out would be awesome."

Dean leaned forward and kissed me lightly, but pulling away quickly, teasing me.

"Why, since no one is around, we do some normal boyfriend, girlfriend stuff?"

I chuckled, "We don't do normal stuff."

Dean nodded, "How about we give it a shot. We can sit, listen to the radio, drink a few beers and BS. And if you're lucky, at the end of the night I might try to feel you up, just so we get the right amount of awkward. We will see."

I shook my head again, "Well only if you promise to cop a feel."

Dean raised his hand and winked, "Scout's honor."

I laughed, "Alright, where to?"

Dean grabbed a six pack from the fridge and we went up to the bedroom we had slept in last night. I flipped on the radio and found soft rock station. I sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed. Dean tossed me a beer and sat mirror-image in front of me. This was the Dean that was my favorite. Even though he was a total badass with hunting and stuff, carefree-fun loving Dean made me feel like a normal human being.

"So…" I started, "This is your 'normal' date. What do you want to do?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. This isn't a date, this is hanging out. And I have no idea."

"Hold out your hands, palms down." Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Just do it…" He obliged and I put mine, palms up underneath. "...This was always a stupid game in school. I am going to try to slap your hands and you try to pull them away...And well, I guess I am only using one hand. If I win we switch."

"Well this is gonna be a hell of a night." Dean said sarcastically.

"Alright jackass, you play it while you are doing something else. Like how about we ask each other stuff we want to know and the other has to answer."

Dean smirked, nodded thoughtfully, "Alright."

"You go ahead first." I tried to turn my hand, but he pulled back.

"Any question? And you have to answer?"He raised his eyebrow.

"How about before we go delving into the nitty gritty details, you start small."

Dean clenched his jaw, I faked once, he twitched and on the next one I got him,

"Shit. Well fine then, what is your favorite food?"

He tried to fake me, but I pulled my hand away in time, "Steak, rare. You?"

"Has to be cheeseburgers. Though I wouldn't pass up a grilled steak."

I nodded, " Favorite movie? Shit!"

He got me, " Damn… I don't know, anything Clint Eastwood. You?"

"I have no idea, love westerns and sci-fi." I tried to fake again, but he wasn't falling for it twice.

"Favorite Sci-Fi? Dammit!" He grunted.

"Umm, even though I love me some Wrath of Khan, I gotta go with the original Star Wars."

"Anyone in particular? Ha-ha" He got me again.

"I like them all, Yoda is the shit. I just don't care for the new ones, they went way overboard with the special effects."

"Agreed."

I sniggered when I got him, "Favorite band or music?"

"Ah, have to go with either Metallica or Kansas. You?"

"Even though I love me some heavy classic rock, I gotta go with a little BOC or CCR."

"Umm…" He accidentally hit my cast, "Shit, sorry... Favorite sport?"

"Play softball or golf. Watch is football."

"Team?"

"Vikes."

Dean stopped, " Aren't you from Wisconsin?"

"I'm close to the border." I replied defensively, and then thought, "What is your favorite place to be?"

Dean shrugged, "We have been a lot of places. I guess I have never really thought about it, as long as Sammy was with me it was alway great…What or when was your first time?"

I smacked his hand, " First time what?"

He stopped for a second and grinned, "You know."

"Really? Asshole. ..umm... this one weekend thing, right after I ditched Ethan."

Dean pulled his hands back, "Hold on. That would have made it like, what, a little over a year, year and a half ago?"

"Yeah." I looked down, embarrassed. Recovering, "How 'bout you?"

Dean graciously let it be and kept trying to get my hand, "Like sixteen, some chick that was at a high school I was at for like a month."

"Okay... son of a bitch! Birthday?"

"January 24th. You?"

"February 5th."

He laughed, "Hold on, we passed up your twenty-first and you didn't even mention it?"

"Its not like I haven't been out drinking before, Dean."

"Yeah, but you only turn twenty-one once. Shit. Oh, I got one..."

We asked each other question after question. There were a lot of favorite ones, first time ones, also some what have you, what would you do questions. Next thing I knew I glanced at the radio and it was after 2AM.

It was Dean's turn to ask, "First awkward slow dance?"

I shrugged, "Never had one."

"What? No way, everyone has one. Prom?"

I shook my head, " I never went. I was hunting by then and I wasn't exactly popular at school, so…"

"Really? Are you serious?"

"Yes Dean. I'm serious as a heart-attack. I don't even know how to slow dance."

He put his hands on his legs, "No freaking way. I grew up in the back of a car and I know how to."

Just as he said that Free Fallin' came on the radio,

"Dean… I just never…"

He cut me off, standing up, holding out his hand, "C'mon"

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart-attack...You have never slow danced and a song that is perfect for it comes on the radio. I'm tellin' you it is fate."

I cocked my head sideways, smiling, "You don't believe in fate."

"True, but this is to my advantage so...c'mon." He waved his hand at me. I watched it, shaking my head, but finally putting my hand in his and allowing him to pull me up,

"This is ridiculous."

Dean laughed, "I'm even gonna make it super awkward so you don't miss out on the experience. Here.."

He took my hands and placed them on his shoulders and he placed his on my waist, pushing me to sway back on forth in a circle. I tried to push up against him, kinda like in the movies, he pushed me away, smirking,

"Um, nope...we are going full middle school, leave room for Jesus style."

I giggled at what an idiot I felt like. The second chorus was playing, and I could feel myself blushing as Dean watched me,

"See…"Dean chuckled, "It isn't so bad."

I glanced up at him, meeting his eyes that were watching me. I smiled tentatively.

"I guess so."

"Awe Jen, just enjoy yourself for once…" Then he started, yelling along to the words of the song, head raised…

"FREE, FREE FALLIN' "

I started to laugh, "Oh my goodness. Cut it out. My ears! Dean!"

He persisted, yelling louder and adding a yodeling sound. I laughed uncontrollably.

"Dean, stop it." I punched him playfully. Thankfully for my ears, the song winded down. As the last chords played he spun me around and back into his chest. I pushed back as the next song began to play,

"Thank you."

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pulling me flush with his body, whispering in my ear,

"You are not getting out of this that easily…" He winked and nodded at the radio, "Apparently fate wants you to have one more dance."

I moved my hands up around his neck as we swayed back and forth, trying to recognize the song. Dean looked down at me and bent his neck. I stood on my tiptoes and closed the gap, meeting his lips. His jaw opened and he kissed me deeply. After a few moments he pulled away, then I layed my head on his chest and he rested his chin on my head. My stomach had butterflies and my heart pounded, fluttering out of control. I could hear him humming along to the song in his chest, the sound was low and comforting. I closed my eyes. The song was Elvis, I Can't Help Falling in Love with You.

After a few moments Dean bent his head to my shoulder kissing it lightly. I kept my eyes closed as he moved up my neck to my ear where he began to sing softly along to the song,

"...Should I stay...Would it be a sin?...If I can't help falling in love with you..."

Dean kept humming for the next few stanzas, then kept on singing, "Take my hand...take my whole, life too...For I can't help, falling in love with you...For I can't help falling in love with you."

The song was coming to a close, first thought: pure terror. Second: oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Third: internal screaming. Fourth: holy fuck is he smooth. Fifth: I could really go for a PB&amp;J.

We just stood there as the last note played, I couldn't breathe, I froze. Terror definitely won out. Dean stood upright, my body stiffened. He took one hand and pulled my chin up, searching my face. I swallowed hard. Dean sighed…

* * *

Dean could see how truly nervous Jen was. He wasn't sure why, because if he was being honest with himself, there pretty much wasn't anything she could do at this point to make him kick her to the curb.

"So how was your first slow dance?"

Jen smiled, relieved, then replied sarcastically, "Ugh, it was the most horrible thing ever. Never again." She rolled her eyes.

Dean laughed lightly, "You're welcome."

Jen looked back to his chest and grinned. Dean leaned down and started kissing the inside of her arm, which was still wrapped around his neck. He caught that her chest started rising and falling quickly as he got closer to her neck. She tightened her arms around his neck, pulling his face to her level, kissing him. Dean wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to her stand on tiptoe. He kept pulling her up.

"Ouch." She flinched suddenly and Dean dropped her quickly, pushing her at arms length so he could look at her,

"Are you alright?"

"Sorry, my ribs, they still hurt like a bitch."

Dean winced, he kept forgetting that she was still pretty banged up from the accident. Realizing this, he was going to have to get a little more creative than he had been planning. He closed the gap between them and reached down to grab her shirt, lifting it slowly. Jen raised her arms and let him remove it. Dean then reached for the top of her jeans going to unbutton them, Jen grabbed his shoulders,

"Dean, at the risk of talking too much and totally ruining the moment...Um, this isn't exactly going to be...um"

Jen swallowed hard, trying to find the words but stumbling. Dean pulled her face to hers and kissed her quickly,

"I got news for you Jen, I might have to get a little creative and this might not exactly be the easiest thing ever. But I'm a guy. There isn't much you could do, to make this not...um… for lack of a better word, enjoyable for me. Like I said, I'm a guy."

Jen exhaled, relieved, "Really?"

Dean reached and unbuttoned her jeans, "Yeah, it isn't that it doesn't mean anything. 'Cause it does...but…"

"You're a guy." Jen finished, stepping out of her jeans that fell to the floor. Dean grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. Jen reached for his jeans, she couldn't get the button with only one hand,

"Fuck." She breathed out, frustrated.

"Well that's what I was planning, but if you a button is kicking your ass…" Dean smiled, looking down at her.

"Screw you." Jen said jokingly.

"Well I was hoping for that too."

Jen started giggling, her fingers in the waistband, "Oh my god Dean, cut it out."

"Well, that is an option, but I would hate to ruin my pants. I could always whip it out."

Jen bit down on her tongue and tried to bitchface him. Dean just leaned down and kissed her playfully. Jen couldn't help but giggle. Dean undid his own pants and let them fall, backing her towards the bed. She sat down on the edge, unsure. Dean grabbed her and tossed her to the middle of the bed, before thinking it through all the way,

"Shit. Jen are you okay?"

"I'm not made from freaking glass Dean. I will let you know."

He crawled over her, pushing her down on her back, careful not to lean on her. Dean dragged his nose down the length of her front, Jen's back arched in response. He placed his lips right above her hip while shoving his hands between her and the bed. As he turns his chin, she flinches violently,

"Dean, that freaking tickles." Dean just smiled and leaned down, doing the same thing, but holding her body firmly in place. This time when she twitched she had nowhere to go. She started to laugh,

"Dean, stop." She reached down with her good hand and shoved his head lightly, but he persisted. Jen was squirming, trying to get out of his grip.

"I...can't...breathe." She managed to get out between laughs. Dean obliged and her body relaxed, sprawling, breathing heavily.

"Ass." Jen hissed.

"I know." Dean moved back up her body, hands reaching around for the hooks on her bra. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled herself up, giving him the room. He unsnapped it and tossed it across the room. Jen ran her hands into his hair, pulling his lips to hers. Dean pushed her into the bed, kissing her hard, pushing his lower body against hers. She whimpered into his mouth, breathing faster. Dean smiled into her neck, he liked how well she reacted to him. He traced her collarbone with his lips. Jen wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled her body to his with her knees. It was his turn to groan,

"Jen...babe"

He got up, slipping her underwear off with him. He discarded his boxers on the floor. Moving back onto her, he looked at her face. The way she looked at him was unreal, her eyes were soft as she smiled at him. Dean pushed her legs farther apart and when he moved to kiss her again, entered. She bucked back, hard,

"Dean…" She breathed out.

After that the night was one mind-blowing blur. They would stop, recover and start again. Sometimes after dozing off, sometimes after just lying there. After the last time, Jen was sprawled over his chest, his hand was in her hair, and they fell asleep until late morning.

* * *

Dean looked over at the clock. It was almost eleven. He stretched, acutely aware that Jen was laying, naked on top of him. He rubbed her shoulder,

"Hey…Wake up."

"Hmmm...no" Jen replied, not opening her eyes.

"C'mon. I don't know when they are going to be back."

Jen groaned, making a face. She turned her head, kissed his chest and then sat up, her long curls falling over her shoulder. She winced, Dean smirked,

"Sore?" he teased her.

"Yeah, my fucking ribs." Jen got up and got dressed, Dean just laid there watching her. She threw his jeans at him.

"Let's go then. If you got me up, you are getting up too."

"Yes ma'am." Jen flipped him off and walked out the door. Right as she got down stairs she heard the familiar rumble of an engine. Her and Dean couldn't have had better timing, because the Camaro pulled up in front of the house, followed by the Chevelle.

Sam came in the house as Dean was hitting the bottom step,

"How is my car?"

Sam nodded, "It is fine...we've got something"

Dean walks over as Sam pulled out a cell phone, "...This is one of dad's old phones. Took me a while, but i cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this."

Sam clicks the phone onto speaker, _"...John, it's Ellen. Again. Look, don't be stubborn, you know I can help you. Call me."_

Sam smiled, "That message is four months old."

Dean raised an eyebrow, "Dad saved that chick's message for four months?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah."

Dean shook his head, "Well, who's Ellen? Any mention of her in Dad's journal?"

"No. But I ran a trace on her phone number and I got an address. You two up for a road trip?"


	18. Everybody Loves a Clown

On the last stretch of clear road in central Nebraska Jen pushed the speedometer of the Camaro past 115, the windows were down, fresh air blowing in, the engine rumbling. She was smiling and laughing at the adrenaline that was pumping through her,

"Oh I missed you so much."

Dean laughed from the passenger seat, "You two need a room?"

Jen stroked the steering wheel, "Don't you listen to him. He is just jealous that his car doesn't stand a chance against you."

"Ha-ha-ha. Baby could kick your car's ass any day."

"Yeah right." Jen said. She looked over and they shared a smile. Sam yelled, over the engine and the wind, from the back seat,

"Hey, we should be getting close to the turn off."

Jen's face fell in disappointment and lifted her foot from the gas, the needle drifted down below eighty. A few dirt roads up, the car turned and then they came to this run down bar, the sign read 'Roadhouse'. There were no vehicles in the lot and all the lights were off. A few neons shown through the windows.

Jen stepped out, grabbing a bag, and leaned on the door, "Looks like a fine, upstanding establishment."

They walked up to the door, which when tried was locked. Sam called out and knocked on the door, "Hello? Anybody here?"

Jen walked around the side, trying to peer into windows, but the poor lighting on the inside made it impossible to see. Dean snapped his fingers at Sam,

"Hey. You bring the, uh,"

Sam rolled his eyes, "Of course."

He tosses the lockpick to Dean, who catches it and quickly slides the pins and rollers. The door swings freely.

"Jen!" Dean hissed, when she doesn't respond, he and Sam enter the bar cautiously. It is quiet, except for the buzzing of a few flies and the snaps when they hit the bug lamp. There is a man passed out on a pool table. Sam pokes him in the arm,

"Hey, buddy?...I'm guessing that isn't Ellen. "

Dean nods, "Yeah."

Sam wanders off into a back room as Dean shuffles through the bar, looking for anything. He stops as he feels the something stiff touch the middle of his back, swallowing and raising his hands,

"Oh god, please let that be a rifle."

The gun pumps and a woman's voice replies, "No, I'm just real happy to see you...Don't move."

"Not moving, copy that… You know, you should know something, miss. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it real easy to do…"

He turned quickly, fluidly, snatching the rifle, turning it on her and cocking it, "...That."

The blonde woman reeled back, punching Dean in the face, taking back the rifle. He doubles over, nose gushing blood, "Son of a bitch...Sam! Need some help in here."

Another gun cocks, Jen appears out of the shadows, 45' drawn, pointed down at the head of the blonde, "Drop the gun bitch."

The blonde looks between Dean and Jen, debating,"I don't take orders at the end of a gun."

Jen tips the gun, "Then you will take them with a few extra holes."

Sam comes out of saloon doors, hands on his head,"Ah...Sorry, Dean, I can't right now. I'm a... little tied up."

A short, older brunette is walking behind him, handgun to his head. The lady looks at what is unfolding in front of her, thinking, then she asks, "Sam? Dean? Winchester?"

"Yeah." They said together.

She uncocked the gun, "Son of a bitch."

The blonde still had the gun on Dean, "Mom, you know these guys?"

"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys.." She lowered the gun, laughing, "Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter Jo...But I don't know you..."

Ellen looked past Jo to Jen who still had her gun up. Jen rolled her eyes and shoves the gun into the back of her pants, "Jen."

Ellen nodded, "That come with a last name?"

"Wesson."

Ellen shrugged, "Alrighty then, who wants a drink?"

They all sat at the bar. Ellen poured them each a glass of whiskey. Ellen was about the same height as Jen, maybe an inch or so taller. She had straight, light brown hair and looked like an reformed biker, in about her mid-forties. Jo was short, shorter than Jen by almost a head, and really petite, looked early twenties. Ellen grabbed a towel and ice for Dean, "Here you go."

Dean put it against his face, "Thanks. You called our dad, said you could help. Help with what?"

She leaned back against the shelving, "Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it."

Dean was immediately suspicious, "What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this?"

Ellen raised her hands, "Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once."

"Oh yeah? How come he never mentioned you before?"

Ellen refilled their glasses, Sam was sitting quietly and Jen was perched forward on her barstool, watching both Jo and Ellen warily.

"You'd have to ask him that." Ellen continued.

Dean swallowed another sip, wincing at the burn, "So why exactly do we need your help?"

"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if... "

She watches the three look between each other, realizing, "...He didn't send you."

Dean looked down at his lap, refusing to answer, Ellen keeps going,

"He's all right, isn't he?"

Sam shook his head, "No. No, he isn't. It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just got him before he got it, I guess."

"I'm so sorry."

Dean got defensive, "It's okay. We're all right."

"Really? I know how close you and your dad were..."

"Really, lady, I'm fine." Dean cut her off. Jen looked between them, then spoke softly, "Look, if you could help us out, we would appreciate it. It has been a rough week of jack shit. We keep hitting dead ends…"

Ellen shrugged, "Well, we can't... But Ash will."

Jen's eyebrows furrowed, "Who's Ash?"

"Ash!" Ellen yelled and the man on the pool table jerked awake, flailing, trying to sit up, falling to the ground.

"What? It closin' time?"

Jen laughed, "That's Ash?"

Jo nodded, "Mm-hmm. He's a genius. "

Ash got up brushing himself off. He wore a cut-off plaid shirt, jean sleeveless jacket, crappy facial hair and had a mullet. Dean started laughing,

"You've gotta be kidding me, this guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie.

Ash sat on a stool between Jen and Dean, turning to Dean, "I like you."

Dean nodded skeptically, bringing the rag back to his nose. "Thanks."

"Just give him a chance." Jo said, leaning over the bar.

Jen grabbed a folder from her bag, it was full of papers, " This stuff's about a year's worth of John's work, so uh, let's see what you make of it. I'm no slouch but I can't see the difference between this demon and any other demon."

Ash grabbed the papers out of her hands and began flipping through it. Dean shot Jen a skeptical look and she just shrugged. Ash shook his head, mumbling, "Come on. This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this. "

Sam smiled, "Our dad could."

"There are nonparametrics, statistical overviews, prospects and correlations, I mean.. damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms... You ever been struck by lightening? It ain't fun."

Dean pointed at the folder, "Can you track it or not?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time, uh, give me…" He counted on his fingers, mumbling, "... fifty one hours. "

Ash gathers the stuff and walks off, mumbling to himself. Dean yells after him, "Hey, man?"

Ash spins around, "Yeah."

"I, uh, I dig the haircut. "

Ash smiles, pointing, "All business up front, party in the back."

* * *

"Here." I grab the rag off of Dean.

"Wh-Ouch!" I grabbed his chin and put his head toward the ceiling, pinching the bridge of nose,

"Hold it there." He started to choke as the blood ran down his throat, I couldn't help myself, "So I take it you spit, not swallow."

Dean started laughing, coughing, "Bite me."

I winked, "Anytime."

He just shook his head.I looked around, Sam was down the bar talking to Ellen. Jo sat down between Dean and me, "Sorry about the nose."

Dean removed the rag, "No your not...How did your mom get into this stuff, anyway?"

"From my dad. He was a hunter. He passed away."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your dad. "

"Yeah... So... Now I guess we've got fifty-one hours to waste." Dean faced the bar again and put his head in his hands. I watched Jo's body language, leaning towards Dean, she broke the silence. "You know, I thought you were gonna toss me some cheap pickup line. Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some... pizza, a six pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV."

Dean chuckles uncomfortably, "Well... what a bunch of scumbags."

Jo raised her eyebrows, "Not you…"

Dean looked past her at me, "I guess not. "

I smiled back at him, remembering, thinking about two nights ago. I was daydreaming. Sam's raised voice made me jump, "Guys, come here, check this out."

I rubbed my face, swinging off the stool, "Yeah?"

Sam shoved me a file, "A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of. Looks to me like there might be a hunt. "

Dean pushed the file back at Sam, "Yeah. So?"

"So, I told her we'd check it out. "

* * *

I drove the Camaro through the rain, it was just after dark. The water pouring made it slow going.I leaned my head against my casted hand. Dean sat in the passenger seat and Sam was in the back with a flashlight looking through the file,"Well according to this, the witness statement, we are looking for a... clown."

I scoffed, "A killer clown? Are you freaking kidding me?"

Dean put his hand over the seat, looking back at Sam, "I mean this isn't like some It thing, that kinda crap doesn't happen."

"...Yeah,well, he left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents. Ripped them to pieces, actually."

I slowed the car as the visibility went to absolutely nothing, "Shit!...What was the family doing that day?"

"At a carnival...uh… the Cooper Carnivals."

I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated, "So how do we know we aren't just dealing with a psycho carnie?"

"Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop. Alibis all around. Plus this girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course. "

Dean started laughing, I looked over confused, "Well, I know what you're thinking, Sam. Why did it have to be clowns?"

Sam slammed the file down on the seat, "Oh, give me a break."

"Hey, hey, hey...take it easy on my leather."

Dean just kept laughing, "You didn't think I'd remember, did you? I mean, come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television. "

Sam sneared, "Well, at least I'm not afraid of flying."

"Planes crash!"

"And apparently clowns kill!"

I was laughing now, "You mean you guys hunt shit all your life and you are both afraid of totally normal thing? Jeez..."

Dean cut me off, "So these types of murders, they ever happen before?"

"Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers Circus, same M.O. It happened three times, three different locales"

That was different, "That's weird because spirits are usually bound to a particular place, like a house or town."

Dean replied, "So how is the spook moving from town to town?"

I shrugged, "Cursed object, like that priest?"

"Great…" Sam started, "... Paranormal scavenger hunt. "

Dean turned, "Well, this case was your idea. By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job."

"So?"

"It's just... not like you, that's all. I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt. "

"I don't know, I just think, this job, it's what Dad would have wanted us to do."

Freakin-ay. This was going to be fantastic car ride. Dean started to get pissed, "What Dad would have wanted?"

"Yeah. So?"

Dean shrugged, "Nothin'. "

The car was silent, tension thick, "Hey I think I might pull off at the next motel. I can't see shit and we are only ten miles outta town anyway…"

"That's fine." Dean cut me off. Cranky much. A few miles later I saw the lights from a roadside motel. I pulled up close to the office, and reached for the door, Dean grabbed my shoulder,

"I got this."

I watched him walk in, Sam leaned over the seat, "Has he talked to you?"

"About what?"

"Jen, you know, he hasn't said a damn thing about our dad since he died. He isn't dealing with it, he is just ignoring it."

"Sam...everyone deals in their own way. You aren't helping either. You can't keep asking how he is doing 'cause he is never going to answer. Or at least not give you the answer you want to hear."

Sam sighed, "It is just Dad would have…"

"Listen man, I know you want to honor his memory and all that, but you can't push Dean like that. You two will just end up fighting…"

I was cut off as Dean opened the door and climbed in. "Here. You have the room next to us."

He tossed me a key, "You serious?"

Nodding, he pointed, "Yeah. Drive."

I raised my hands, "Alright...I just figured we were only going to be in town a night or two."

I pulled the Camaro in front of my room, grabbed my shit and slammed the door. I was kinda pissed. It wasn't like Sam didn't know about us, or at least had put two and two together, and I wasn't planning on doing anything, so why the hell waste the money? The only thing I could figure was he was pissed about John again, pissed at Sam, and inadvertently taking it out on me. I turned the key and tossed my bag on the bed, slouching down, sprawling out. There wasn't anything to do until we went into town tomorrow, so all I had to do was sit here twiddling my thumbs. I pulled my laptop out and just did basic web searches, looking for any other history that might have been missed. There was a knock on my door, and then it swung open, Dean entered. I looked up at him, nodded and then looked back down at the screen, not saying a word. Like I said, kinda pissed.

He walked slowly across the room, I never looked up, "Don't even."

"Jen...I…"

"No." I looked up. His shoulders slumped,

"What did I do?"

I rubbed my eyes, "Listen Dean, give me a break, okay? Even I reserve the right to be angry for no logical reason every once in awhile."

"Is it something I did?"

I exhaled heavily, resting my head on my hand, "Not really, just a shitty day. And then you're in a pissy mood, which I understand why. But I haven't done anything, and when you and Sam fight, you both put me in the middle...It sucks because I see both of your sides, but I'm kinda biased, but you guys come as a package deal, so..."

Dean walked, cautiously across the room and slipped on the bed between me and the headboard, a leg on either side of me. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his chest. He reached past me and scrolled the laptop with one hand, the other hand rubbing up and down my side,

"Anything interesting?"

"Nothing we don't already know." I said tiredly. Dean just shut the laptop and put it on the nightstand. I leaned my head back on his chest, Dean absentmindedly ran his hand over my stomach, down my arms. Reaching down his fingers intertwined with my casted ones and he brought them up to his lips,

"Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not pissed at you, or even Sam. I'm pissed at my dad."

That wasn't exactly what I had expected, I turned sideways so that I could look at his face,

"It is what he said to you in the hospital." I wasn't asking a question.

Dean nodded, his face hard, jaw clenched, clearly in pain. I quickly got to my knees, facing him, "Dean?"

He swallowed hard, a tear ran down his face and he brushed it away. I didn't know what to do. He was still leaning back, not facing me. I put my hand on his knee, I spoke softly,

"Hey? It's okay." More tears ran down from Dean's eyes. I put my hands on either side of his face, I leaned forward and kissed him lightly, not knowing what else to do. When I sat back up he finally looked me in the eye,

"Dad told me...he told me that if I couldn't save Sam...I…would have to kill him."

My heart dropped out of my chest, shit. "What?...Why?"

He wiped his eyes again, "I don't know. But how could he put that on me? I could never…"

"I know."

"Jen, what am I supposed to do?"

"You haven't said anything to Sam?"

He shook his head, "What would I tell him?"

"Nothing, he would freak. Especially because he is hard on himself. And that whole thing with Yellow Eyes…"

"Yeah…" I placed my good hand on his cheek and wiped away his tears with my thumb.

"Hey, everything is gonna be alright. I mean, I should know right?"

Dean scoffed and shook his head. I leaned in and kissed him again, his hands pulled in my hair. I broke it and he wrapped his arms around, pulling me into his chest. Dean's head rested on mine. I didn't know what to think about this new info. Sam never had posed a threat, I mean the guy had the biggest conscious out of any of us. The chances of him going dark side, zero.

"Dean...We will figure this out."

He never responded, just laid there, hands running up and down my arms. I didn't sleep much that night, he didn't either.

* * *

I was up by 5AM and listening to the police scanner, drinking coffee. Mostly it was random chatter, checking in, drunks, and the like. A little before eight and three pots of coffee later, there was a change,

_'Just got a 911, disturbance. Neighbors called it in.'_

_'10-4. Will check it out.'_

_'It is weird, they said a clown entered and exited'_

Shit, we were too late to save that family. We would have to get to that carnival ASAP.

"Dean!" I smacked his leg, "C'mon, we gotta go."

"Mhm..sure" He replied sleepily.

"Call came over the radio, two more dead. We gotta find what this damn thing is."

I left and knocked on the other door where Sam was,"Sam! Let's go!"

I jumped in the car and started it, revving the engine, slamming the heel of my hand against the horn. The boys finally came trotting toward the car, hopping in. I squealed the tires as I headed to town. Sam and Dean made a few calls on the way over, pretending to be law enforcement, figuring out what happened. I parked in the lot and we approached the carnival entrance, I nodded towards men in cheap suits talking to some carnies,

"Five-oh is already here."

I lean back on the bars of a ride and watch everyone. The boys do the same. A dwarf woman walks past us in a clown outfit. Sam jumps away, she pauses, and they have a stare down before she moves on. Dean elbows his brother,

"Did you get her number?"

"Shut-up." He scowls.

"What did you two get on the way over?"

Dean exhaled, "Two more last night. Apparently they were ripped to shreds. And they had a little boy with them."

Sam nodded, "Who fingered a clown."

Dean shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air."

I turned to them, "Fantastic, so we are looking for a needle in a stack of needles. It could be freaking anything."

Dean shrugged, "Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything. "

Sam huffed, "Oh, good, that's nice and... inconspicuous. "

I spot a sign that was behind us, "Well...I think I just found a way to make it look a little less inconspicuous."

I point to the Help wanted sign. They turn to look, Dean shrugs, "Alright then."

We walk around until we get to this one tent that workers are bustling in and out of. A man is inside throwing knives at a target, they never quite hit the middle. Dean clears his throat,

"Excuse me, we're looking for a Mr. Cooper, have you seen him around?

The guy turns on Dean, "What is that, some kind of joke?"

He removes his sunglasses to reveal clouded eyes. The dude is blind. Dean starts backing away, "Oh. God, I'm, I'm sorry."

"You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper? Or a sunset, or anything at all?"

Dean turned to me and Sam, speaking quietly "Wanna give me a little help here?"

I shook my head, slapping his shoulder, "You are on your own bud."

"Hey man, is there a problem?" I turn and see a midget enter the tent. The blind man points in Dean's direction,

"Yeah, this guy hates blind people."

Dean started tripping over his own words, "No, I don't, I…"

The midget looks accusingly at Dean, "Hey buddy, what's your problem?"

Dean puts up his hands, "Nothing, it's just a little misunderstanding."

"Little?! You son of a bitch!"

Dean is flustered, "No, no, no, no! I'm just, could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?"

I am doubled over laughing, Sam is chuckling. I finally took pity on Dean,

"Could one of you please tell us how to find Mr. Cooper?"

* * *

They had pointed us to a place back with the trailers, Mr. Cooper walked and guided us back to his office,

"You guys picked a hell of a time to join up. Take a seat."

I look and there are only two seats available; one is a normal folding chair, the other...bright pink with a clown face. Dean scrambles for the normal chair. I stand behind him, Sam scowls. I nod toward the clown chair, he shifts uneasily and sits, trying not to make a scene. I was him keep fidgeting, Dean and I shared an amused look. Mr Cooper keeps on talking, sitting behind a desk,

"...We've got all kinds of local trouble. "

I furrowed my brow, "Why?"

"Oh, a couple of folks got themselves murdered. Cops always seem to start here first. So, you three ever worked the circuit before?"

Sam nodded, "Yes sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas."

"Doing what? Ride jockeys? Butcher? ANS men?"

Before I could stop him, Sam continued talking, "Yeah, it's, uh, little bit of everything, I guess."

Mr Cooper laughed, "You three have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?"

Dean shook his head, "Nope. But we really need the work. Oh, and uh, Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady."

Cooper sighed, turning a picture from his desk to us, "You see that picture? That's my daddy."

I smile lightly, "You look like him."

"He was in the business. Ran a freakshow. Till they outlawed them, most places. Apparently displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress. I guess. You see, this place, it's a refuge for outcasts. Always has been. For folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you three? You should go to school. Find someone to settle down with, have two point five kids. Live regular."

I started to talk but Sam cut me off, "Sir? We don't want to go to school. And we don't want regular. We want this."

Cooper looks between all of us for a second, glances down at his desk and then nods, "Alright then."

He handed us some paperwork on who we were reporting to and then sent us on our way. When we were out on the main walk, Dean turned to Sam,

"Huh."

"What?" Sam asked.

"That whole, uh, I don't want to go back to school thing. Were you just saying that to Cooper or were you, you know, saying it? Sam?"

"I don't know. " Sam shrugged.

"You don't know? I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to Wussy State."

Sam starts to walk off, "I'm having second thoughts. "  
"Really?"

"Yeah. I think. Dad would have wanted me to stick with the job."

Fuckin' ay. This shit was starting up again. Why couldn't Sam just drop it, everything would be fine then. But Dean wasn't about to walk away either,

"Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted? You spent half your life doing exactly what he didn't want, Sam."

Sam turned, pissed, "Since he died, okay? Do you have a problem with that?"

"Naw, I don't have a problem at all."

I got between them, "You two need to cut the shit. We are on a job right now. You can fight about this later, now we have people to save. Get your damn heads out of your asses."

* * *

A few hours later all three of them were dressed in red 'Cooper Carnival' uniforms, picking up trash. Sam makes his way into a funhouse, scanning the EMF meter shoved up his sleeve, passing various objects, mirrors, and unidentifiable articles or memorabilia. A skeleton falls through the ceiling behind him and he jumps forward, breathing heavily. Turning, Sam scans it and it gives off no reading.

Dean and Jen were working about fifty feet apart, across the park, scanning their EMFs as well. Dean's phone rings as he dumps a bag into a dumpster,

"Hello?"

_"Hey, man."_ It was Sam on the other end,

"What's the matter? You sound like you just saw a clown. "

_"Very funny. Skeleton, actually."_

"Like a real human skeleton?"

_"In the funhouse. Listen, I was thinking. What if the spirit isn't attached to a cursed object - what if it's attached to its own remains?"_

By now Jen was standing beside him, listening to the conversation. She pointed to her sleeve, Dean nodded and asked,

"Did the bones give off EMF?"

_"Well, no, but - "_

"We should check it out anyway. We are heading to you."

He flipped the phone shut, they turned and ran headlong into the blind man, "What are you two doing here?"

"I'm... We were just sweeping." Dean stutters out.

"Bull. And what were you talking about? Skeletons? What's EMF?"

Dean laughs uncomfortably, "Dude, your blind man hearing is out of control. "

He and Jen try to back away, but the blind man follows, "We're a tight-knit group. We don't like outsiders. We take care of our own problems."

Jen stops, "Do we have a problem?"

The blind man's head snapped towards her, "You tell me - you're the ones talking about human bones."

Dean chuckled uncomfortably, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"What?"

"...We and my brother...we, we are writing a book about them. And there is this story about a clown one, attached to Cooper Carnival and Bunker Brothers... We are just looking into it so, um…"

"You know who might know something...Mr. Cooper was a lot manager for Bunker Brothers back in '81"

"We gotta go." Jen pulled Dean around and they walked quickly away. She looked back and saw the man's head turned to the sound of their footsteps. Jen started jogging, pulling Dean with her, that man gave her the willies. When they made it across the park to the funhouse, Sam was pacing impatiently,

"What took you so long?"

"Long story." Dean replied

"Mommy, look at the clown!" A little girl's voice carried over the crowd. They all turned looking to where the girl is pointing. Nothing is there. The mother is confused as well,

"What clown?...Come on, sweetie, come on."

Dean, Sam and Jen glanced between each other. They had just found the next possible victim.

* * *

We had, well, stalked the family the rest of the day at the carnival. When they went home, we did a few drive bys. It was dark now and we were sitting in the Camaro outside the family's house. They weren't exactly doing anything interesting. Dean was in the back and catching Sam up on the information we had gotten from the blind man,

"Dean, I cannot believe you told Papazian about the homicidal phantom clown. "

"I told him an urban legend about a homicidal phantom clown. I never said it was real. "

I heard Dean sliding salt rounds into a shotgun. Sam freaked, "Keep that down!"

Dean set it down and leaned up between the seats, "Oh, and get this. I mentioned the Bunker Brother's Circus in '81 and their, uh, evil clown apocalypse? Guess what...Before Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers. He was their lot manager."

"So you think whatever the spirit's attached to, Cooper just brought it with him?"

I turned to reply but jumped back because I hadn't expected Dean to be only half a foot from my face. But I guess it is a small car and he is a big guy. I cleared my throat, "I guess Cooper is probably unintentionally doing it, but we can't be sure. What I don't get is how is it getting so far away from the carnival."

Dena shook his head and shrugged, " I can't believe we keep talking about clowns. "

Around eleven the house goes completely dark. Dean is dozing, snoring. I look over and Sam's eyes are starting to fall as he leans against the window. I rub my eyes, blinking hard, fighting sleep. I take a sip of coffee and look back towards the house. Another few hours pass.

A light flips on upstairs, followed by one in the dining room. A little girl opens the door, a clown vaporizes outside walking inside, following her,

"Guys! Time to go!" We all scramble out of the car. Sprinting across the yard, Dean tosses me a shotgun. Inside, we move fluidly, clearing room by room. Sam heads for the stairs, but I hear a creak behind the lower landing. I let out a low whistle and point. Sam moves around through the living room, Dean and I head through the dining room. Another creak sounds, and I shove Dean against the wall, into the shadows. Around the corner the girl appears, holding the hand of the clown, speaking to him,

"Wanna see Mommy and Daddy? They're upstairs."

I see Sam in the shadows across from us and I nod. He moves quickly, grabbing the girl. Dean cocks his shotgun, hitting the clown full in the chest with a round. The clown falls backwards, but shakes it off. It gets back up and moves toward Dean. What the hell? Spooks aren't immune to salt. I pull up my gun and unload a round into its head, it turns on me angrily. I back away,

"Jen! Get down!"

I hit the deck and hear rounds from a 45 as Dean unloads a clip into it. The clown begins to run away, smashing a window and disappearing into thin air. I breathe heavily, processing. A horde of angry voices jolts me back to reality,

"What's going on here? Get away from my-"

A woman starts screaming, "Oh my god, what are you doing to my daughter?!"

"...Who the hell are you? Get out! Get out of my house!"

"Mommy, Daddy, they shot my clown!"

I feel Dean's hand under my shoulder ass he hauls me to my feet. We sprint out the front door and to the car. The engine catches as soon as I turn the key,

"Go, go, go!" Dean yells as him and Sam are able to cram in. The tires squeal and I take turns on two wheels until we are well outta town. I pulled off the road onto a wayside.

"What the fucking hell?"

"I don't know." Sam replied.

"No? What the actual fucking hell?" I looked over at Dean who was in the passenger seat now.

"I don't know. But one thing is for sure, we're not dealing with a spirit. I mean, that rock salt hit something solid...Your head shot it and didn't phase it."

Sam started brainstorming, "Yeah, a person? Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?"

"Well not a person, Dean unloaded a clip into it."

Dean tuned to the back, "Did it say anything in Dad's journal?"

"Nope" Sam replied. I pulled out and started driving down the road, light was just spreading on the horizon. I can hear Sam's phone calling,

"Who are you calling?"

"Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash'll know something. Hey, you think, uh, you think Dad and Ellen ever had a thing?"

Dean shook his head, "No way."

"Then why didn't he tell us about her? Did he ever say anything to you, Jen?"

I shook my head and Dean shrugged, speaking slowly, "I don't know, maybe they had some sort of falling out. "

"Yeah. You ever notice Dad had a falling out with just about everybody?"

Dean casually nods, ignoring the comment. I can see Sam in the rearview, debating whether or not to talk.

"Well, don't get all maudlin on me, man." Great, he decided not to keep his trap shut. Dean turned to the back,

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this "strong silent" thing of yours, it's bull shit."

Dean slumped into the seat, rolling his eyes, "Oh, god."

Sam was starting to raise his voice, "I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talking about, this is Dad. I know how you felt about the man."

"You know what, back off, all right? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to." Dean snapped.

"No, no, no, that's not what this is about, Dean. I don't care how you deal with this. But you have to deal with it, man. Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Dude, I'm okay. I'm okay, okay? I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwing punches. These are your issues, quit dumping them on me!"

"Guys...cut it out. That is enough" But I was ignored.

"What are you talking about?" Sam retorted.

"I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad. It's like, oh, what would Dad want me to do? Sam, you spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, hell, you, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him. And now that he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry Sam, but you can't, it's too little, too late. "

"Why are you saying this to me?" Sam asked quietly.

"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this. I'm dealing with Dad's death! Are you?"

Sam ignores him, redialing the phone." Hey Ellen...its Sam."

I didn't listen to him talk, I just stared at the road in front of me. I was so sick of this shit. Sam being whiny, Dean being stoic, it was shit. Complete and total fucking shit. I pulled into the motel lot and Sam was still on the phone. I just got out, went into my room and sprawled out on the bed, closing my eyes. I had a headache and didn't want to deal with any of this now. I just wanted to do the job, and then move onto the next one. I hear both of them come in. I can feel Dean sit on the foot of the bed, Sam slides a chair and keeps talking on the phone.

"Thanks a lot…" The phone clicks, "...Rakshasa."

I scoff, not opening my eyes, "Is that some sort of disease?"

"No its Ellen's best guess. It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures. They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited."

I sit up, "So what? They dress up like clowns for kicks and the kids invite them in?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, I guess."

"Why don't they snack on the kids?"

Sam shrugged at me, "No idea. Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?"

I scoffed, "Just another day at the office I guess."

Dean shook his head, "What else'd you find out?"

Sam glanced at the sheet of paper he had been scribbling on, "Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects."

My face scrunched, "Oh uck."

Dean laughed at my reaction but Sam continued talking, "Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty or thirty years. Slow metabolism, I guess."

"Makes sense…" I replied, "...'81 until now?"

Dean looked over at me, leaning back on his hands, "I bet there were probably more before that."

I thought for a moment, "Hey guys? This one is for the daily double... Who do we know that worked both shows?"

"Cooper?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Bingo." I winked.

Sam slowly nodded, "You know, that picture of his father looked just like him…"

I shrugged, "Maybe it was him. Ellen by chance say how to kill him?"

"Legend goes, a dagger made of pure brass."

Dean slapped my knee as he got to his feet, "I think I know where to get one of those. Let's go."

Sam stepped in front of Dean, "Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're going to want to make damn sure it's him."

Dean chuckled, "Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy...All right, I'll round up the blade, you go check if Cooper's got bedbugs. Jen, where you goin'?"

"I guess I will go with you to make sure you don't make an ass of yourself."

He winked, and then said sarcastically, "Don't know what I'd do without you."

"Suffer endlessly, of course."

* * *

They had pulled up to the carnival after dark, Jen flipped the lights off about half a mile out. Sam immediately headed for Cooper's trailer while Jen and Dean ran off to find the knife thrower, walking between the campers and eventually made it to the Cooper's trailer, looking over his shoulder, he picks the lock and the door swings freely inward. He fumbles around in the dark, looking for the bed. After tripping over some stuff he found it, pulling out a knife, slicing the mattress open. There was nothing but springs and cotton. Sam stands up and a gun cocks behind him,

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Um...Sorry...wrong...ah" Sam bolts for the door, hitting the ground at a full sprint, looking for Jen and his brother.

Jen and Dean were on the other side of the park. Coming around a corner, she saw the blind man working his way around a building,

"Hey!" Jen yelled and they jogged to catch up with him. He turned,

"Not you two again…"

Dean cut him off, " Hey man we just need some help. We were wondering if you had any brass knives?"

"What you need 'em for?"

Jen thought quickly, "Listen, we will pay for them. But we only need to borrow them for a few hours."

"Follow me…I got all kinds of knives, but I don't know about a brass one." They trailed after him to a back tent. As he enters a back room he smacks a trunk with his walking stick, "Check in there."

Jen kneeled down, flipping it open, rummaging through the first layer of crap. Seeing the contents her stomach dropped, "Ah...Dean?"

Inside the trunk was a full clown costume, the same as the one from last night. Dean looked over her shoulder, "Shit."

Jen flipped around, "You?"

The blind man dropped his walking stick and removed his sunglasses. His eyes were perfectly clear and shown an unnatural shade of orange, "Yeah...me."

He waves slyly, face beginning to melt, body disappearing, eyes last.

"Dean, I think it is time we get lost."

He swallowed hard, "I'll second that."

They ran for the door struggling to open it. A knife whizzes by Jen's ear, followed by another near Dean's hand. Jen jumps as another buries itself in the door above her head. There is disembodied laughter. Another knife flies and slices the side of Dean's calf, "Son of a bitch!"

They finally manage to get the door open, tumbling out, hitting the ground and then booking it through the streets. Sam spots them,

"Hey! "

Jen and Dean skid to a stop, Sam jogs over to them, "So, Cooper thinks I'm a Peeping Tom, but it's not him. "

Dean breathed heavily, "Yeah, so we gathered. It's the blind guy. He's here somewhere."

"Well, did you get the - "

Jen gasped as she caught her breath, "What does it look like Sherlock? You think he is gonna hand over the thing that can kill him?"

Sam started to take off without them, "C'mon! I have an idea"

He jogs between rides, Jen and Dean scamper after, trying not to fall on cords in the dark. Sam stops in front of the funhouse, "The other day, when I was in here, there was this steam pipe organ….Usually those things are made from brass."

Sam went in first, followed by Jen then Dean, turning one corner to another. It was dark except for some low lighting and neon. As they enter another corridor a door from the ceiling slams down, separating Sam from the other two. Jen pounds on the door,

"Sam? You okay?"

His voice is muffled by the door and the creepy carnival music that began to play, "Yeah! You guys gotta get through the maze, we can meet somewhere in the middle. Okay?"

"Okay!" Dean yelled back

* * *

It was so dark I could barely see Dean walking in front of me through the passageways. Mirror after mirror caused us both to jump as we caught reflections of ourselves moving. We finally come around a corner and see Sam in the low lighting, unscrewing a steaming pipe with a rag.

"Hey." Dean hisses.

Sam turns, brass pipe in hand, "Hey! Where is it?"

I scan the room, "I have no idea, shouldn't the clothes be floating around…"

A knife flew by my head into the wall behind me. I hit the ground as two more whipped past, pinning Dean's sleeves to the wall. A fourth one hits the floor, inches in front of me. I push myself back across the floor.

"Sam!" Dean warns as Sam stalks the room slowly, pivoting. Another knife flies through the air at his head, he dodges and swings wildly.

"Dean, where is he?"

"I don't know! "

I look around, there is a lever arms length away. I pull it and steam piles into the air. Scanning the room...nothing...nothing...then unnatural swirls seep towards Sam,

"Behind you!"

Sam swings around, stabbing blindly. The pipe hit its mark as the knife throwers blood billows out in midair, falling to the ground, screaming. It smokes and all that is left are empty clothes and a bloody pipe. I exhale, getting up to help Dean. I pull the knives from the wall,

"Gotta admit, he wasn't too shabby at knife throwing...You are bleeding by the way."

Down on his calf, Dean's jeans were soaked with blood, "Shit...I will wrap it in the car."

"You want me to take a look at it?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. Sam, you okay?"

"Yeah."

Dean chuckled uncomfortably, "I hate funhouses."

I rolled my eyes, "Let's get the hell outta here before someone finds this or notices he is missing….I think our fifty-one hours is definitely up."

* * *

We made it to the Roadhouse early in the morning. When we arrived, Ellen greeted us with a fresh pot of coffee.

"So how did it go?"

We all sat on barstools, half asleep. Sam jumped into the recap of the last few days. I listened, sipping my coffee. When Sam finally finished Ellen nodded,

"You guys did a hell of a job…" Then she looked between the boys, "Your dad'd be proud."

"Thanks." Sam replied. I looked towards the ground, just zoning out. Turning my head I saw that Dean's jeans were still wet, it should have dried by now.

"Hey Ellen? You got a first aide kit or something?"

"Yeah sure." She disappeared into the back room. Dean turned to me and I nodded down towards his leg. He glanced and shrugged, throwing back some more coffee. Ellen set her kit on the bar, I snatched it up, grabbing Dean on the upper arm. He wouldn't move at first, but I tugged hard, almost pulling him off the barstool. I walked towards a table and shoved him into one of the seats,

"Easy there…" Dean laughed.

"Oh, bite me." I pulled a chair directly in front of him, "Give me your leg."

He lifted his right leg up and I set his foot on the chair, between my legs. I pushed the jeans up, over his knee. The patch-job he had done, with gauze, was soaked with blood.

"I thought you said this wasn't that bad?"

"Could've been worse."

I shook my head starting to clean it out. After I got all the shit out of it, I glanced up, Dean was watching me intently .

"Stop that."

"What?" He smirked.

I look back down and blush, "I hate when you do that...You wanna pull out the needle and suchers?"

He reached into the kit with one hand and tossed me the stuff so I could stitch him up. I threaded the needle, then moved his leg, leaning on his shin so I could see what I was doing. When the needle pierced his skin he flinched, I snickered, "Pussy."

"I seem to remember you having a hard time when I stitched you up."

"I didn't flinch"

"No, you just didn't breathe and turned beat red."

I smiled, "Shut up."

I finished off the stitches and placed some gauze and tape over it, "Well, unfortunately, it looks like you are gonna live. So..."

"So you are gonna have to deal with me for a little longer I guess."

I nod over to the bar, "Looks like your brother's got himself a girlfriend."

Dean looks over his shoulder. Sam and Jo are talking at the bar, "Sammy wouldn't know what to do with that. She would eat him alive."

I laughed but stopped when a back door flung open. Ash appeared carrying the folder and an insane looking laptop. It had wires everywhere, lights flickering. Like I said, totally insane. He tosses it down on our table,

"Where you guys been? Been waitin' for ya."

Sam came over, "We were working a job, Ash. Clowns?"

Ash stiffened, giving Sam a weird look, "Clowns? What the…"

I cut him off, "Do you have anything for us? Anything on that demon."

Ash sat down in front of the laptop, "It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie."

Dean leaned across the table, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world, my rig'll go off. Like a fire alarm."

I nod, sounded legit. Sam pointed at the screen, "Ash, where did you learn to do all this?"

"M.I.T. Before I got bounced for... fighting."

"M.I.T.?" Sam was taken aback.

Ash stretched and cracked his knuckles, "It's a school in Boston. "

I started laughing, "No way...you are that kid who started a brawl on campus and then was running naked through the fountain."

Ash gave me a confused look, "You heard of me?"

"That happened right before I left…"

Dean cleared his throat, "Okay. Give us a call as soon as you know something?"

Ash nodded, "Si, si, compadre."

He grabbed his shit and disappeared into the back room again. I shook my head, who knew the cover model for Stoners Weekly was a total genius.

"I guess we should probably hit the road guys."

* * *

We had been back at Bobby's for a few days. Sam had been waiting for a call from Ash, I just kept bullshitting with Bobby about monsters and hunts. It was nice to have a few days off. Dean was almost finished with the Impala, and even though I had found a couple hunts in the news, I wasn't gonna push until he finished Baby. Bobby had just finished telling me about this shapeshifter hunt down in New Mexico he had done five years ago.

"I'm gonna grab Dean a beer and see if he needs and help."

"Alright kid, let me know if he needs anything."

I grabbed the beer out of the fridge and meandered through the junkyard. When I was a row behind the Impala I heard raised voices. Stopping I listened, Sam and Dean were going at it again.

"You were right Dean."

"About what?"

"About me and Dad. I'm sorry that the last time I was with him I tried to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know he died thinking that I hate him. So you're right. What I'm doing right now, it's too little. It's too late. I miss him, man. And I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not alright. Not at neither are you. That much I know...I'll let you get back to work."

I hear Sam's footsteps going in the other direction. I come around the corner, Dean is squatted by the car, zoning. I lean on a nearby one and watch him as he picks up a crowbar, flipping it in his hands. He swings it into the windshield of a nearby car, turns and starts pounding it on the Impala's trunk. Over and over again. Once his arms start to tremble, the crowbar clatters to the ground. Dean looks in the direction where Sam had walked off, then turns and sees me watching. Swallowing, he glances down, embarrassed and pissed. I push myself upright, walking to him,

"Here's a beer, and what else do you need help with to get her running?"

Dean looks at me gratefully and pops the hood, showing me what still needs completed. I start to turn wrenches then replace some timing belts as Dean pops the dents from the trunk. We work to the sounds of the tools, no words exchanged between us as the Impala slowly regains her original form. The metal crunching pauses momentarily, arms wrap around my waist and Dean pulls me up against his body, mouth near my ear,

"Thank you." He whispers.


	19. Bloodlust

I was sprawled out on a couch in Bobby's living room, flipping through channels on the TV. There was nothing but shit on after midnight, on a weekday, on your antenna basic. I sighed and rolled my neck back, staring at the ceiling. The screen door creaked and I jumped at the noise, "Dean?"

"Yep." He walks in and leans on the room's entryway.

"How's the car coming?"

He smiled, "Just finished her up. Can't to wait to get on the open road and drive her."

"Good cause Sam found something. He wants to head out in the morning."

"Okay. Where is that giant bucket of sunshine? I haven't seen him today."

"Upstairs, went to bed an hour or so ago. Bobby went outta town to help a friend a state over, left this afternoon."

Dean came over and I sat partway up, he plopped down on the couch and I laid my head on his leg. He grabbed my left hand and examined it, straightening my fingers, "You took the cast off?"

"It was getting in the way...plus it feels fine."

"Still, these usually take a few months to heal." Dean turned my hand over, inspecting it.

"Well thankfully, it seems I have super-human heal time, or whatever. So this is fine, I think… Well at least I hope."

He ran his fingers through mine, "So what have you been doin' all day? Absolutely nothin' like usual?"

I laughed, "Lookin' through book after book. Trying to figure out what the hell could be goin' down out there. Tryin' to find some lead somewhere on that damn demon."

"You are tryin' to find stuff about you." It wasn't posed as a question.

I sighed, pausing, "Dean...I just don't know. I mean what if the demon…"

"It doesn't matter."

I looked up at his face, "What do you mean 'it doesn't matter'? I could be some abomination…"

"Just shut-up about it Jen."

"Excuse me? Wanna try that again?" I raised my eyebrows, challenging him to reconsider what words had just come out of his mouth.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Okay, shut-up, like don't worry about it. So what?"

"So what? What the hell does that even mean?" My voice raised.

"It means I don't give a shit. You could be a backwoods hobo or the freakin' queen of Sheba. I doesn't matter what the demon said. I told you I don't buy that destiny shit...Well at least until you start smokin' when I hit you with the Holy Water...then I might need to rethink my position."

I laughed, "So you aren't worried that I'm 'tied to fate' or some bullshit like that."

"We will cross that bridge if we ever come to it. Right now, I want to chill, watch some TV. Because it doesn't change anything that has already happened and we choose what happens from here on out…" The corners of his lips twitched, "...So shut-up about it."

I faced the TV, "Make me."

Dean laughed, "Oh... make you? Alright…"

He moved quickly, swinging his legs up and under me so he was laying on the couch. He pulled my face around and held his lips centimeters from mine. I was staring into his eyes, waiting, when his lips twitched into a wicked smile and he winked. What the hell? Then Dean's fingers jabbed under my ribs, making me screech.

"No...Dean...Please...Stop" I couldn't breathe, I was laughing so hard, trying to fight off his hands. He kept tickling me. I turned into him, shoving. I gasped again and again.

"...Dean...I…can't"

"I don't understand you. What's that?" He asked playfully. His hands found a spot that was even more ticklish and I pushed back, harder than I meant to because I was tumbling off the couch. I grabbed for something, anything to break the fall. It ended up being Dean and I pulled him off the couch on top of me. There was a huge thud as we hit the ground, both of us laughing. His hand moved to my side again and I accidentally let out a sharp squeal.

"Shhh...Jen." Dean laughed, bent down and covered my mouth with his, suppressing the screech. At first it was gentle, but then it deepened. I was lost as he pushed against me, hands intertwining with mine above my head. Dean eventually pulled away. I was gasping for air, looking up at him. He just smiled like a goof, biting his lip. Sighing, Dean rolls off of me and clambers back on the couch. He pulls the blanket off the back, tosses it over himself and then holds the front open,"C'mon."

I just roll my eyes, and climb onto the couch, under the blanket, facing away from Dean. His arm wraps around my waist and he adjusts his body to mine, spooning me. I feel lips on the side of my neck, moving to my exposed shoulder. He buries his face there. I close my eyes and drift off to his steady breathing.

* * *

The sun creeping through the curtains hit Jen's face. She groaned, trying to stretch but unable to move. Dean's body was wrapped around her, legs tangled with hers, arm trapping her tight to his chest. Jen squirmed, attempting to loosen his grip with no avail, he had her pinned. He unconsciously gripped her tighter, burying his face into her hair and neck.

"Dean." She said quietly, trying to wake him. She struggled again, but gained no advantage, barely able to breathe under his death grip.

"Dean!" Her voice rang louder.

"Mhmm." A sleepy groan was all she received.

"Dean... dammit. Get up or let me out!"

"Hmm?" She turned to see his eyes opening slowly, squinting. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Now are you gonna let me move or not?"

"Sorry." He lessens his grip enough for her to stretch, but not enough to get up as he stretches too, letting out a belch.

"Uck, Dean, that smells." Jen elbows him lightly in the stomach and he chuckled, wrapping arms around her, pulling her closer again, moving his hand up and down her stomach. She leaned her head back into his chest for a moment.

"C'mon, we gotta get up." Jen pushed off of him, getting to her feet. Dean watched her walk to the kitchen to make coffee. He called after her, "You need to learn how to relax and enjoy stuff."

Jen returned, leaning against the door jam, "Hazard of the lifestyle. There is always something that needs done."

They locked eyes and smiled. The steps creaked as Sam came down the stairs, Jen cast her eyes down and then over to him, "There is coffee going."

"Thanks…" Sam looked to Dean, "...uh I don't know if Jen told you but I caught wind of a hunt. Might be a demon."

Dean nodded, sitting up, "She mentioned it...Let's go then, you can get me caught up on the road."

* * *

A few hours later we were flying down the road in the Impala, radio blasting some AC/DC. I sat in the back, alternating between staring out the open window and watching Dean act like a kid in a candy store.

"Whoo! Listen to her purr! Have you ever heard anything so sweet?" He was smiling, both hands on the wheel. I leaned up resting my head and arms on the back of the seat, near his shoulders, "You two need a room?"

He laughed and turned to me, "Oh, you are freaking hilarious."

Sam laughed from the passengers set, "You're in a good mood."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Dean turned to him.

Sam shrugged, "No reason."

"Got my car, got a case... things are looking up."

"Wow. Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're Mister Sunshine."

Dean laughed, "How far to Red Lodge?"

I looked over at the map laying on the back seat, "Three-hundred miles, give or take."

"Good" He pressed down on the accelerator and the engine rumbled. I sat back in the seat and looked over some of the stuff that Sam had printed out. Though mostly I just enjoyed the ride and Dean's contagious good mood.

* * *

Once in Red Lodge, Sam and Dean posed as reporters to talk to the sheriff. Jen had taken the Impala to go talk to some of the local farmers and take a look at the crime scene where a woman had been beheaded. Sam and Dean headed into the office, introducing themselves to a secretary and being escorted to the Sheriff's office. The man was rather large, old, and sported a handlebar mustache. Sam bullshitted around, trying to get a feel for what the Sheriff would be willing to reveal, "The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time."

Sam nodded, "Sure, sure, we understand that, but just for the record, you found the first, uh, head last week, correct?"

The man leaned back in his chair, "Mm-hmm."

"Okay, and the other, a uh, Christina Flanigan…" Sam pressed

"That was two days ago. Is there..." A woman knocked on the door, cutting the sheriff off, "You have an appointment in five Sir."

The Sheriff began to get up, "Oh. Sorry boys, time's up, we're done here."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look, Sam starting "One last question - "

Dean cut him off, fidgeting, "Yeah, what about the cattle?"

The sheriff was taken aback, "Excuse me?"

Dean shrugged, "You know, the cows found dead, split open, drained ... over a dozen cases."

"What about them?"

Sam leaned forward, serious, "So you don't think there's a connection?"

"Connection ... with...?" The Sheriff wasn't sure where they were going with this line of questioning.

"First cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff." Sam said skeptically.

Dean swallowed, scribbling on his pad with a pen, "You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff?"

The sheriff laughed and then stopped at their serious expressions, "You - you're not kidding."

Dean shook his head, "No."

The sheriff's expression became serious, "Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know?"

"How?" Sam asked.

"Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty eight hours the bloat'll split it open so clean it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground and get soaked up because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan. What newspaper did you say you work for?"

Dean started to panic, "World Weekly News…"

Sam tried to save him, "Weekly World News."

Dean chuckled uncomfortably, "Weekly... I'm new. "

The sheriff stood up angrily and pointed to the door, "Get out of my office!"

While Dean and Sam were trying to get information and failing miserably, Jen had driven to a farm on the outskirts of town who had recently lost a large chunk of his herd. She got out and her boots sunk in the muddy driveway, bottom of her jeans soaking through. She reached up and knocked on the door, an older, short lady with salt and pepper hair opened the door.

"Morning, I am from the Agricultural and Livestock Services over in Helena. I understand you lost part of your herd recently. I am just here to make sure it wasn't a disease infecting the herd and that if there is a predator involved that it gets taken care of."

She looked Jen up and down, pausing, "Alright… My husband is over in the barn, him and our foreman should be able to help you with whatever you need."

Jen smiled, "Thank you ma'am. Which barn?"

"The horse barn is the one with the hayloft. Give me second and I will take you over. My husband isn't exactly known for his good manners."

"Thanks."

She lead Jen towards the barns. Chickens clucked from their pen, cats scampered in and out of the buildings, cows mooed, horses whinnied. The lady pulled the door of a barn open, "Bob! There is a lady from the...from the...Where did you say you are from again?"

"Ag and Livestock Services." Jen said with a polite smile.. A gruff looking, weathered, aged man turned the corner around the stalls, looking Jen up and down.

"What the hell do you want?" The man had no time for pleasantries.

"I'm just here to make sure any of your herds deaths over the last few weeks aren't from a disease that would affect the quality of the meat."

"Like I told the sheriff, wild animals."

"But you haven't reported finding it. Wild animals don't kill that often."

The man looked down, "There were no tracks, the cows were shredded. It isn't a disease."

"Then I would like to see where you found them, just to confirm."

He looked at her, annoyed, he didn't appreciate her sticking her nose in his business, "Alright, it is a ways out and I don't have any ATVs running. Do you ride?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tom!.." He yelled over his shoulder and then turned back, "My foreman will take you out then."

* * *

A sandy haired man hurried over to Bob. Tom was in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, and, honestly good looking in that country sort of way. I smiled and nodded.

"Tom, take this lady out to see where the cows were attacked, she is with the livestock department or something. Give her that little black gelding to ride out."

Tom nodded nervously, looking between me and his boss, "Um..follow me miss."

"Jen is fine."

"Yes ma'am."

I rolled my eyes and followed him through the barn, past stalls filled with horses. He walked up to a sorrel mare that he already had tied up, patted it on the shoulder and grabbed a halter from the wall behind it, tossing it to me,"The horse that the boss wants you to take out is in the third stall, I will grab you a saddle."

"Thanks." I walked back up the aisle, breathing in deeply the smell of hay and horse. I had forgotten how much I loved this stuff, how much I missed it. I opened the door, slipping the halter over his nose. It is a cute little horse, his back about even with my shoulders, solid black. He followed me to the hitching post where I tacked him up with the stuff that Tom had pulled out. He watched me warily, probably trying to see if I actually knew what I was doing or if I had been bullshitting his boss. He was quiet, I tried to make conversation, "How long have you been working here?"

"About five years."

Well he is a chatty one, "How far of a ride up is it?"

"Hour up, hour back."

I finished tightening the cinch, "What's his name?"

"Chess."

"Am I gonna get more than a direct, one-syllable answer out of you?"

I looked up and he smiled, "I don't know ma'am...Are you ready to go?"

"Yep." We lead the horses outside and hopped up felt great to be back up on a horse again. He turned up a trail by the pasture fence at a trot, I bumped Chess to follow and he obliged, picking up the bouncy gate. We rode in silence for about fifteen minutes before Tom slowed his horse to a walk, "Aren't you kinda young to work for the Ag Department?"

I laughed, pulling Chess up beside him, "Aren't you kinda young to be a foreman of a large ranch?"

"Fair enough… I'm actually sort of surprised, most of the yahoos they send out don't know the front end of a cow from the ass-end."

"I'm not most yahoos." I smiled and he smiled back. "Tom? Did you find the cows?"

"Yeah. Last one was found yesterday. We have been having trouble for the last month. Boss has been reporting it to the Sheriff but he won't do anything."

"What do you think it is?"

"Honestly, boss wouldn't agree with me but, I think it is some sort of animal."

"But that is what he reported?"

He shrugged, "That's what he says but not what he thinks. I'm not entirely sure either. Animals only kill when they are hungry, and I haven't seen any tracks...weird. Plus, none of the meat is gone."

"Not a disease then?"

"No."

"You sound pretty sure."

"I'm positive."

"Alright then." We kept riding for awhile. Then he turned to me,

"The body is just over this next knoll, 'bout three hundred yards past the tree line up ahead...Wanna race to the pines?"

I laughed, and as I got excited, Chess began to prance, "Only if you wanna lose."

Tom laughed and spurred his horse without giving me a warning. Shithead. I kicked Chess and he leapt forward, legs pounding the ground, muscles moving in perfect rhythm. I let myself go, let myself dip into the pure freedom that came along with this. I caught up with Tom's horse and Chess beat him by a stride to the pine tree.

"Whoa." I sat back and he slid to a stop. Tom shook his head, "Damn."

"I told you I would win." We walked the horses up over the hill, both squirming underhand, breathing heavily, snorting, wanting to run again.

"What kind of riding did you do Jen?"

"Barrel racing mostly...But anything where you get to run is fine with me."

"We should hop off up here and tie them up. They get kinda nervous around the cow, I think they can smell whatever did it."

"Alrighty." We dismounted and tied the horses to some trees, walking the last hundred yards or so. When we arrived the stench was pungent, and that cow was freaking mutilated. But Tom had been right, this wasn't a disease. I was pretty sure it wasn't an animal either. I could see the tracks from Tom and a few horses yesterday, but other than that, nothing. I stepped up to examine the body. Sides were ripped, right behind the leg and the throat was ripped. But all the meat was pretty much intact. Very little blood littered the ground, weird. Kneeling, I examined the neck, pulling the muscles out of the way to get a better view. As I grabbed the windpipe, something fell to the ground. I picked it up, looking at it in the light. Fuck, I pocketed it. "Tom, I think I have gotten all I need here."

"Alright."

We began to ride back. I couldn't call Sam or Dean because he would overhear, so I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to wait until I got to the car. They needed to know before they got themselves deep into a shit storm. Tom's voice pulled me out of my swirling thoughts,"How long are you in town for?"

I turned to him, "Excuse me?"

He smiled, "Are you in town long enough to grab a drink tonight."

"Oh...Um." I looked forward and he laughed uncomfortably.

"It is okay, you can say no." Tom said quietly.

"Listen, you seem like a nice guy, but…"

"But I work on ranch and you probably have some higher expectations. I should have figured."

"No..Not at all actually...I'm… I guess I'm seeing someone."

"Really?" He sounded surprised.

"Tom, I'm offended. Are you saying that I couldn't get a guy?"

"Not at all...You just don't seem like the 'I have a long term relationship' type."

I scoffed. He chuckled, "For starters, the gun shoved down the back of your pants would be a speedbump for most guys."

Shit, I hadn't even thought about making sure my coat had covered that up. "Um...This is the middle of Montana."

"Yes ma'am it is, but rifles work a little better."

I smiled, "I'm sure they do."

"Are you still going to stick to the boyfriend story to blow me off?"

"Well it is true."

"Sure it is."

We trotted the rest of the way back to the barns. I helped Tom untack the horses and we parted ways. As soon as I was back in the car I called Dean's cell.

* * *

After the Sheriff had been a bust, Sam and Dean headed over to the coroner's office to take a look at the severed head and body that had been found. On the way in they snaked some labcoats off some pegs. When they entered the morgue there was an intern sitting behind the desk whose nametag read '

'. Dean stared at it for a moment, calculating his chances, "Hey John."

The intern looked up, uncomfortable, "Jeff."

Dean bit his lip, snapping his fingers, "Jeff I know that... Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away."

The intern was startled, "But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation."

Dean feigned panic, "Well, he's back. And he's pissed, and he's screaming for you, man, so if I were you I would…"

The intern flew out of the chair and scampered down the hallway. Sam and Dean both chuckled. Sam started reading the sliders on the cooler wall, Dean played with some tools, "Hey, those satanists in Florida, they marked their victims, didn't they?"

Sam nodded, finally finding the right drawer, "Yeah, reversed pentacle on the forehead."

"Yeah. So much fucked up crap happens in Florida." He hands Sam a pair of latex gloves, puts on his own and slides the drawer out. A headless body emerges with container between the legs. Sam grabs the container and puts it on a lab table. Dean slides it towards Sam, "All right, open it."

Sam scoffed, disgusted, "You open it."

Dean grabbed the container, flipping the lid up, "Wuss."

Inside the box is the severed head of the female victim. Sam cringed at the sight of it, Dean sighed, "Well, no pentagram."

"Wow. Poor girl."

Dean bumped shoulders with him, "Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth, see if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kinda like the moth in _Silence of the Lambs_."

Sam pushed the box to Dean, "Yeah, here, go ahead."

"No, you go ahead."

Sam backed away, "What?"

Dean made his voice scratchy and high pitched, "Put the lotion in the basket."

Sam scoffed at his impression of Buffalo Bill, "Right, yeah, I'm the wuss, huh? Whatever."

Sam felt down the throat, wet, squishy sounds accompanied his fingers sliding down the mouth cavity, "Dean, get me a bucket?"

"You find something?"

"No, I'm going to puke."

Dean's phone began to go off, he looked at the screen to see Jen's number, "Hey Jen, what did you find?"

"_Dean we aren't dealing with a demon. I checked out the body of the last cow up on the highlands of a ranch. There was a vampire fang lodged in the throat."_

"Vampire? Why is vampire chowing down on a cow?"

_"Maybe it was fucking hungry, I mean there isn't a whole lot of food in central Montana."_

"Hold up a second Jen...Hey Sam, lift up the lip again, I wanna check out something."

"Are you trying to make me sick?" Sam snapped.

"Just do it."

When Sam lifted up the lip, holes in the gums were visible. Dean pressed down on one and a fang descended. Sam scoffed, "Well that changes things."

"Ya think?...Jen, we will meet you back in town. If we hit up a couple bars tonight we should be able to find where these things are bunkering down at. At a minimum get a lead on the nest."

_"Alrighty, should be there in thirty-ish."_

* * *

Jen pulled the Impala in front of a diner that Sam and Dean had been waiting in. Dean walked to the driver's side , opening the door, Jen scooted over to the passenger's side. Sam climbed in the back, "The dead body was a fang...you think we have another hunter in town?"

Jen shrugged as Dean pulled the car out, "I think that is becoming a distinct possibility."

Dean turned to her, "Do you know anyone who would be in town?"

She shook her head, "Not that I can think of, you would be surprised how few hunters actually hunt vampires. It is dangerous as hell by yourself."

"Sam and I were asking around, there is only one bar on the outskirts of town."

"Really?"

Dean nodded, "Only one that can stay in business. The town is so damn small the only things here are people in the lumber industry and the farmers."

"Well at least we shouldn't have to look to hard...I'm guessing there is only one motel in town as well."

Dean chuckled, "Nope, there are two. Though the people at the diner highly recommended one over the other. I guess the one is a little spendy."

"Is that where we are heading?"

"Yep. Figured we could grab a few hours of down time and then get going tonight. Feeling the townspeople out, the people who know everyone and everything are the bar rats so…"

Sam cut Dean off, "Well since we already know what this case is we could start looking at new ones."

Jen sighed, "Sam you are all work and no play man. Can't you just cool it for a few hours."

"Not in my nature Jen."

When they arrived at the Adobe Motel, Dean checked them into one room where they set up camp. Sam immediately pulled out his laptop and began looking for more cases, sitting at the table by the window. Jen pulled out some newspapers, laying horizontally on the bed closest to the door. Dean grabbed a handful of Jen's newspapers and laid on the bed, longways, on his back. He rested his head on the small of Jen's back, using it as a pillow. It was a toss-up who was more surprised, Jen or Sam. Dean never showed affection in front of his brother.

* * *

In all honesty, I didn't see this job lasting beyond tomorrow afternoon. Once we found the nest tonight it would only be a matter of hours before this pest problem was cleaned up. I pulled some newspapers that I had picked up at a gas station out of my bag, laying on my stomach across one of the beds. Dean grabbed half of my stack and I shot him a look. He winked in response and I rolled my eyes. He plopped onto the bed, laying perpendicular to me, resting his head at the bottom of my back. At first I stiffened, nervous. Dean never really, well blatantly obviously, touched me in front of Sam. I didn't look for his reaction, and frankly at this point I could care less what he thought of us. Relaxing, I flipped through the major headlines, nothing too interesting. I moved onto the obituaries; old age, old age, heart attack, old age. Nothing, nothing, nothing. I huffed and then stared out the glass sliding patio door.

Every time Dean finished with a paper, he tossed it at my head or made paper airplanes and bombed Sam. Looking up I could see that Sam was frustrated and not having any more luck than us at finding a new case, he sighed, "I'm going to the vending machine, you two want anything?"

I shook my head, Dean tossed his wallet at Sam, "Grab a few bags of chips or pretzels, I'm starving."

I heard the door shut after Sam, Dean sat up, "How are you not hungry?"

I shrugged, and looked back down at my paper, "I don't know...I'm fine."

Suddenly I felt a rolled up newspaper smack across my ass, I jumped up in surprise, "Dean Winchester!"

He laughed, cocking an eyebrow "Jennifer Wesson."

"I'm gonna murder you!"

"What?" He asked innocently, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I huffed, and shoved him playfully, "Jackass."

Sam walked back in, tossing a few bags of food at Dean, who immediately started chowing down. He held an open bag of potato chips at me and I just shook my head, returning to the papers.

* * *

Once it was dark we pulled up to this bar right outside of town. It was run down on the outside, neon beer advertisements showing through the windows. Dean parked the Impala and we all got out. I nodded to the bar, "Go ahead, I will trail you."

Dean nodded and him and Sam took off. I watched them enter, waited a few moments and crossed the parking lot. All the vehicles except for a select few were older model trucks. As I enter, the inside is just as nasty and dark as the exterior, smoke wafts through the air. Dean and Sam are already at the bar, I sit at a table within earshot, order a beer and watch around the room. Most of the people were talking with friends, laughing, a select few were sitting by themselves. The bartender, who was shorter than either of the boys, but a little older, finally made it over to where Sam and Dean were standing. Dean nodded at him, "How's it going?"

"Living the dream. What can I get for you?"

"Two beers, please." Dean replied.

Once the bartender handed the beers over the counter, Sam spoke slowly, "So, we're looking for some people. "

The guy laughed, "Sure. Hard to be lonely."

Sam reached into his pocket, "Yeah. But um, that's not what I meant."

I glance over and see him throw some cash on the bar, then he continued, "Right. So these, these people, they would have moved here about six months ago, probably pretty rowdy, like to drink...real night owls."

The bartender pocketed the cash, "Barker farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot... drinkers. Noisy. I've had to 86 them once or twice. "

Dean grabbed his beer off the counter, "Thanks."

They sat two tables away from me, there were a few girls watching them but they quickly went back to their friends. I kept scanning the room, a black man dressed in red plaid alone in a corner kept alternating between glancing their direction and smoking. Dean made eye contact with me, I nodded toward the corner and he looked over his shoulder and then nodded back. He smacked Sam on the shoulder and they got up and left. The door hadn't even shut when the man from the corner rushed after them. I trailed after in time to see Dean and Sam disappear around a corner, the man watched and followed, stalking them. Staying in the shadows I moved quickly and quietly, watching. Against the dark I saw the gleam of a drawn blade in the man's hand. Shit.

I closed the distance between us and grabbed at his arm, he heard me at the last second because he ducked and turned, drawing up. I smacked the hand away, his knife flew out of his hand. He swung wildly, I dodged and hit him square in the chest, pushing him backwards, his body bouncing against the wall. As he went to charge me, hands came out of nowhere, pinning him off the ground, against the wall. Dean drew his machete and held it at his throat, "Smile."

The man looked confused, "What?"

I glared at him, picking up the knife and pushing it against his stomach, "Smile bitch."

His eyes rolled, "Oh, for the love of… you want to stick that thing someplace else? I'm not a vampire… Yeah I heard you guys in there."

Sam frowned and Dean pushed his machete closer to his throat, the skin folding around it, "What do you know about vampires?"

"How to kill them. Now seriously, bro. That knife's making me itch." Dean smirked and the man tried to pull away, Sam pinned him harder. The man swallowed hard, "Easy there, Chachi."

He slowly brought his hand to his mouth, revealing his gums, "See? Fangless. Happy?"

Sam and Dean let up, I took a step back but didn't drop the knife, "Who the hell are you?"

"Gordon Walker, and you have my knife."

I cocked my head, flipped it around and handed it to him handle first. He took it and sheathed it, watching me warily. Sam broke the silence, "I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean. That is Jen."

* * *

Gordon looked between all of them, "Sam and Dean Winchester?"

Dean nodded, "The one and only."

Gordon laughed, "And Jen Wesson?"

Jen cocked her eyebrows and nodded, unamused and suspicious. Gordon made her uncomfortable.

"No fucking way…" He turned back to the boys, " I can't believe it. You know I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter. I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear you guys fill 'em. Great trackers, good in a tight spot -And you Jen, I heard you clean up stuff quick, real efficient...nerves of freaking steel... "

Dean cut him off, "You seem to know a lot about our family…"

"And you know who I am." Jen finished.

Gordon started to walk toward the parking lot, "Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk."

Dean scoffed, "No, we don't, actually."

Gordon turned, "I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?"

Sam squirmed uncomfortably, Gordon made him nervous as well, "So, um, so those two vampires, they were yours, huh?"

"Yep. Been here two weeks."

"Did you check out that Barker farm?" Dean asked.

Gordon leaned up against a car, "It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."

Dean nodded, "Where's the nest, then?"

Gordon shifted, "I got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong. It's a real pleasure meetin' you guys. But I've been on this thing over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."

"We could help." Dean spoke quickly before Jen could stop him.

"Thanks, but uh, I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy."

"Come on, man, I've been itching for a hunt." Dean tried again, Jen swallowed hard, she wanted to get the hell outta here. Gordon opened the door, "Sorry. But hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out...It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side."

He waved quickly and sped off. Dean walked toward the Impala, "C'mon."

Jen follow, "Do you really think this is a good idea, the guy gives me the creeps."

Dean reached for the door, "He's a hunter, I'm sure we seem a little off to people. Plus, no one can take out a nest on their own, I just want to make sure he doesn't get wasted."

They all climbed in and Jen continued, "Dean, I'm telling you that I have a bad feeling about this guy…"

"Jen, it will be fine...We take care of the nest and we are outta here by noon." He sighed, and tapped her shoulder. "I promise."

She rolled her eyes, "Sure thing."

They tailed Gordon's car from a distance until it hit a lumber mill on the river. By the time they pulled the car off the road and caught up on foot, Gordon was long gone from the car.

"Shit." Dean muttered. Jen took off through the shadows, both of the boys trailing her. She slid the door open on the warehouse and they swept it, one area after another. As Sam is passing a door, a saw starts on the opposite side, rumbling and humming. He swings it open and sees a beat up Gordon on a table and a vamp pulling a saw down toward his head. Sam grabs Gordon and pulls him away quickly. Dean and Jen appear behind him, attacking the vampire. Jen struggles with him, flipping him on his back and pinning the vamp under the electric saw.

"Dean!" She yells and he grabs the saw and lowers it, decapitating the vamp. As the saw chain meets the flesh, they are sprayed with blood. The head thumps to the floor, Dean and Jen exchange a look, and she sighs, relieved. He starts to laugh, Jen joins him. Gordon watches and then finally speaks in disbelief, "So, uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink."

* * *

Dean and I had stopped off long enough to clean up, but we were now sitting with Sam and Gordon at a table in that bar. Dean and me were both leaning back in their seats, Sam sat with his elbows on the table. Gordon waived a waitress over, ordering four shots of whiskey. When she came back Dean reached for his wallet, Gordon waved him off,

"No, no, I got it."

"Come on." Dean said uncomfortably, I knew he didn't like not paying, feeling like he owed someone.

"I insist…" Gordon turned to the waitress, "...Thank you, sweetie." He raised his glass, "Another one bites the dust. "

We all raised our glasses in response, I slung mine back. I noticed that Sam only sipped, then sat back and crossed his arms. As wary as I was of Gordon, Sam flat out didn't like the man. Gordon chuckled, "Dean. You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend."

Dean smiled, "Thank you."

"That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful...And Jen, the way you flipped him back? Bad-ass."

I smirked, "Thanks."

There was a pause, Dean was watching his brother, "You alright, Sammy?"

"I'm fine."

Gordon slammed his glass on the table, making me jump, "Well, lighten up a little, Sammy."

Sam bitch faced him, "He's the only one who gets to call me that."

Gordon put up his hands, "Okay. No offense meant. Just celebrating a little. Job well done."

I knew Sam or Gordon didn't catch it but when Sam said that, I caught the proud little smirk on Dean's face. Sam kept talking, "Right. Well, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess. "

"Oh, come one, man, it's not like it was human. You've gotta have a little more fun with your job." Gordon took a swig from a beer.

Dean snapped and pointed, "See? That's what I've been trying to tell him. You could learn a thing or two from this guy."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Yeah I bet I could. Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel."

Dean was confused, "You sure?"

Sam got up and nodded, "Yeah. Jen, are you staying here?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stick around for awhile...If I get too twitchy I will give you a call."

Dean pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them at him, "Sammy? Remind me to beat that buzzkill out of you later, alright?"

Gordon leaned forward and furrowed his brow, "Something I said?"

Dean waved him off, "Nah, nah, he just gets that way sometimes. Tell you what. Match you quarters for the next round."

For the next hour or so Dean and Gordon swapped stories. I pretty much just sat there and listened, sipping on a beer. It was nice to see Dean happy. But fucking Gordon, he was charismatic sure, but he was definitely the guy you avoided in the prison yard. The guy that would shive you just because he thought you gave him a look, stab you while your back was turned. I just kept my eye on him, zoning out, watching the locals. Dean was in the middle of a story about a werewolf,

"... So. I pick up this crossbow. And I hit that ugly sucker with a silver-tipped arrow right in his heart. Sammy's waiting in the car, and uh, me and my dad take the thing into the woods, burn it to a crisp. I'm sitting there and looking into the fire, and I'm thinking to myself, I'm sixteen years old. Most kids my age are worried about pimples, prom dates. I'm seeing things that they'll never even know. Never even dream of. So right then, I just sort of - "

Gordon laughed, "Embraced the life?"

Dean smiled, "Yeah."

"Yeah...How about you sweetie?"

I cringed at him calling me that, "I don't know… My first hunt was a demon with John, but when I embraced the life? I've hunted everything; vamps, wolves, shifters. When I realized I was in love with the life? A windigo, over in the rockies. I'm telling you, there is nothing more thrilling than hunting something that is a better hunter than you. That bastard, I was holled up in a protective circle for almost a week before I got that son of a bitch."

Gordon slammed his beer down, "You took a wendigo by yourself? That's insane...how did you do it?"

"Old Indian tiger trap...I didn't kill him but it sure as hell slowed him down enough to burn him, caught him with a homemade torch. How did you get started?"

He sat back and sighed, then Gordon spoke slowly, "First time I saw a vampire I was barely eighteen. Home alone with my sister. I hear the window break in her room. I grab my dad's gun, run in, try to get it off her. Too late. So I shoot the damn thing. Which of course is about as useful as snapping it with a rubber band. It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone, my sister's gone."

"And then?" Dean asked.

"Then... try explaining that one to your family. So I left home. And then bummed around looking for information: how you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang - it was my first kill…"

A familiar voice cut Gordon off mid-sentence, "So you weren't lying to me."

Looking up, Tom was right beside me, "Hey! I told you I wasn't."

"Well shit. I came all the way over here, to this side of the bar, thinking I was gonna catch you in it, and actually have a shot at that drink."

I chuckled, "No such luck…"

Dean cleared his throat, "Oh, ah...Tom this is Dean….Tom showed me around that farm today."

Dean held out a hand, they shook, "Nice to meet you."

Well this was uncomfortable, "Tom, how about I get you a couple beers for taking me to the ridge today?"

His face brightened, "Sure."

Tom turned away, walking to the bar, I turned to Dean, putting my hand on his shoulder, "You want anything?"

He shook his head and shot a look after Tom, I sighed, "Really?"

Dean nodded stiffly, "Yeah really...He wants in your pants."

"Oh my god, number one...no, just, no. Number two, like every girl in here doesn't want in yours? Calm yourself." I patted him lightly on the chest and leaned down near his ear, and spoke quietly, "Being an ass doesn't suit you."

He chuckled and I walked up to the counter where Tom was standing. I ordered two beers from a new bartender, "So you stalked and cornered me in the only bar in town."

He smiled and chuckled, "I honestly didn't mean to… but it is the only bar in town, so…"

I took a swig from my beer, "Well now that you have trapped me…"

He huffed jokingly, "Trapped you? I never would dream…"

* * *

Dean watched Jen walk over to the bar. He hadn't meant to be an ass, but the guy clearly had an ulterior motive. Gordon cut off his thoughts, "She is a hell of a...well something."

Dean snapped back into reality, "Yeah, she is."

"Though man...mixing work with pleasure isn't usually a good idea."

Dean grimaced, "It isn't really like that."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I didn't know..."

"Don't worry about it. I mean she is a real pain in the ass sometimes, she is so used to goin' at this stuff alone, doesn't know when to ask for help...But she is pretty cool, knows her stuff, kick-ass hunter. It is nice having someone that you can be honest about the life with. "

Dean was uncomfortable talking about Jen like this. He knew how most guys brains worked, and the first thought was always about how to get some. So he changed the subject, "Sorry about your sister, by the way."

"Yeah. She was beautiful. I can still see her, you know? The way she was. But hey, that was a long time ago. I mean, your dad. It's gotta be rough. "

"Yeah. Yeah, you know. He was just one of those guys. Took some terrible beatings, just kept coming. So you're always thinking to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around, nothing can kill my dad. Then just like that..."

Dean snapped his fingers, …" he's gone. I can't talk about this to Sammy. You know, I gotta keep my game face on…. Jen probably isn't the best option either, she and my dad didn't get along so well. Him actually stabbing her definitely derailed that train…But, uh, the truth is I'm not handling it very well. Feel like I have this…"

Dean trailed off and Gordon spoke slowly, "Hole inside you? And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker? Good. You can use it. Keeps you hungry. Trust me. There's plenty out there needs killing, and this'll help you do it. Dean, it's not a crime to need your job."

Dean nodded, staring at his beer. Gordon slapped the table, "Hold on, your dad actually stabbed her?"

Dean chuckled, "Yeah...I mean there had been a fist fight before then, but I think stabbing her was the last straw."

"No shit?"

"Well Jen isn't exactly good at putting up with bullshit and my dad had a short fuse, so that was always a nuc waiting to go off."

"Know why I love this life?" Gordon asked.

"Hmm?"

He leaned forward, "It's all black and white. There's no maybe. You find the bad thing, kill it. See, most people spend their lives in shades of gray. Is this right? Is that wrong? Not us."

"Not sure Sammy would agree with you, but uh…"

"Doesn't seem like your brother's much like us…"

Dean gave him a skeptical look, Gordon raised his hands, "I'm not saying he's wrong. Just different. But you and me? We were born to do this. It's in our blood."

Dean just nodded and thinks about that. He looks over his shoulder again, Jen was talking animatedly, hands flying and laughing. Glancing down at his watch, it was quarter to three.

"Doesn't this place have a closing time?"

Gordon laughed, "A place like this? Middle of nowhere? Closing time is when the sun comes out."

* * *

Sam had made it back to the motel quickly. And as soon as he was there he flipped out his phone and dialed,

"_Harvelle's Roadhouse_." Ellen's voice picked up on the other end.

"Hey Ellen, uh, Sam Winchester."

_"Sam, it's good to hear from you. You boys are okay, aren't you?"_

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Got a question."

_"Yeah, shoot."_

"You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker?"

_"Yeah, I know Gordon. "_

"And?" Sam turned the key in the lock, opening the room.

"_Well, he's a real good hunter. Why are you asking, sweetie?"_

"Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kinda working with him, I guess. "

_"Don't do that, Sam." _She was almost yelling through the phone.

"I... I thought you said he was a good hunter."

_"Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist. Look, he is dangerous to everyone and everything around him. If he's working on a job you guys just let him handle it and you move on."_

"Ellen…"

_"No... Sam? You...just listen to what I'm telling you, okay? It will only end one of two ways, either one of you three will get hurt or one of you will end up killing him because he put you in danger. Do you hear me?"_

"Right, okay...Thanks Ellen."

_"Anytime sweetie, just listen to what I said."_

"Okay, bye." Sam flipped the phone closed and sighed. He had known there was something off about Gordon and he was glad that it wasn't just him being paranoid. Though he was pretty sure Jen was on his side for this one, he had noticed that she gave him a wide berth and reeled away anytime Gordon addressed her. He walks to the vending machine and back, it is cool out, clear. As he comes back to the door, a rustle in the bushes makes him pause. Waiting, Sam starts to think that it was all in his head, after all this was the middle of Montana. He enters, leaning against the door, relieved. As he begins to open his soda a person jumps him from behind, Sam flips him over his shoulder to the floor. A second man comes at him from the shadows, Sam defends himself, but fails to see the first man grab the telephone off the nightstand. It collides with Sam's head and the world goes black.

As Sam comes to there is dim light in the room, caused by a lone lamp. He is bound to a chair and gagged, looking up the bartender from earlier is staring at him, opening his mouth to reveal a set of fangs. The bartender advances and Sam struggles against his bounds.

A woman's voice, with a slight drawl, rings through the air, "Wait! Step back, Eli."

Eli shoots her a look, but steps back, retracting his fangs. The woman walks over and pulls Sam's gag off, "My name's Lenore. I'm not going to hurt you. We just need to talk."

Sam snorts, "Talk? Yeah, okay, but I might have a tough time paying attention to much besides Eli's teeth."

Lenore pulled up a chair, opposite of Sam, "He won't hurt you either. You have my word."

Sam's eyes roll, "Your word? Oh yeah, great, thanks. Listen lady, no offense but you're not the first vampire I've met."

"We're not like the others. We don't kill humans, and we don't drink their blood. We haven't for a long time."

"What is this, some kind of joke?"

She looked him up and down, "Notice… you're still alive."

"Okay, uh, correct me if I'm wrong here, but shouldn't you be starving to death?"

She looks over at Eli, who is hovering, "We've found other ways. Cattle blood."

It clicks into place for Sam, "You're telling me you're responsible for all the…"

"It's not ideal, in fact it's disgusting. But it allows us to get by." She makes a face.

Sam nods, "Okay, uh, why?"

"Survival. No deaths, no missing locals, no reason for people like you to come looking for people like us. We blend in. Our kind is practically extinct. Turns out we weren't quite as high up the food chain as we imagined."

"Why are we explaining ourselves to this killer?" Eli hissed at her.

"Eli!" She was admonished.

"We choke on cow's blood so that none of them suffer. Tonight they murdered Conrad and they celebrated."

"Eli, that's enough."

"Yeah, Eli, that's enough." Sam sassed at him.

Lenore shot Sam a look and then spoke again, "What's done is done. We're leaving this town tonight."

"Then why did you bring me here? Why are you even talking to me?"

"Believe me, I'd rather not. But I know your kind. Once you have the scent you'll keep tracking us. It doesn't matter where we go. Hunters will find us."

"So you're asking us not to follow you."

She stood up, "We have a right to live. We're not hurting anyone."

Sam glared at her, skeptical, "Right, so you keep saying, but give me one good reason why I should believe you."

"Fine…" She leans over him, "...You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to let you go."

She gets up and stands in front of Eli, "Take him back. Not a mark on him."

Two vampires came out of nowhere, replacing the gag, putting a sack over his head. They lead him to a truck and started driving back to the motel.

* * *

I was leaning against the bar still talking to Tom. We had spent the last couple of hours discussing pros and cons of different tractors, beef cattle and different brands of horse equipment. Right now we were in the middle of an argument about Chevy's versus Ford's.

"I'm tellin' you man, Chevy has the better cars but Ford has got them on the trucks."

He slammed his beer down, wavering, losing his balance slightly "Chevy has a way better engine on their trucks…"

I laughed "You are so full of shit."

"No…" He almost fell backwards, the poor guy was plastered. I grabbed his arm to keep him from tumbling.

"Easy there, maybe you should slow down."

He waved at me, "I'm... fine."

An arm wrapped around my waist from behind, I looked up to see Dean, "Maybe you should listen to her...Tom? Right?"

"C'mon man back off." Tom managed to slur out. Dean just ignored him, looked down at me and spoke, "You about ready to go. Gordon is gonna give us a lift back to the hotel, maybe talk some strategy."

I leaned my head back against his chest, "Sure."

Tom's hands flew again, "Stay for an…" Before he could finish the sentence the drink he was holding flung onto my shirt, and the glass smacked me in the face.

"Son of a bitch." I hissed, jumping back. Dean pushed me behind him and grabbed Tom up by the collar, pulling him off the ground, growling, "You clumsy fucker."

"Dean!" I put my hand on his shoulder, "C'mon. Its fine, let's go."

Dean looked between me and Tom, then sighed and flung him back. I grabbed his hand and pulled him behind me towards the door where Gordon was already standing. As soon as we were outside, Dean planted himself and spun me around.

"You okay?"

"Dammit Dean, I'm fine...I don't need you to protect me!" It came out little harsher than I had meant it to. He ignored me and grabbed my chin, examining my face. I shoved him back, "Dean! Stop-it!"

"Jen…"

I just glared at him and he put up his hands, defeated. Gordon cleared his throat, "You two ready to go?"

"Yeah." I snapped. We climbed into the car and drove in silence. When we arrived, Gordon parked his car and turned to us, "I'm gonna get a decent shower...You guys want to meet back up in a hour or so and we can figure out how to get these fangs?"

Dean nodded, "Sure thing."

I stalked to the door and flung it open, Dean was right behind me, "I think your chin is bruising."

"I told you that it is fine." I snarled, snatching my bag and digging out a clean t-shirt. Dean came up beside me, reaching for my wrist. I reeled back, "Don't."

His voice raised, "Why are you so pissed?"

"The guy was drunk, you didn't need to attack him." I headed for the patio door, I needed some air. But before I got there, Dean's voice raised even more, "Attack him? The guy spilt his drink on you and smacked you with a glass!"

"Jesus Dean! It was an accident! And that's not even the point!"

"Then what the hell is it?"

"You don't need…" I didn't know what to say.

"I don't need to what? Need to watch a guy hit on you all night?"

I flung my hands in aspiration, "It isn't like anything happened. He never laid a hand on me. I can handle myself, I have worked alone for years. I have dealt with guys for years. I don't know why you are a...a...a jealous ass sometimes."

"Ha." He crossed his arms across his chest.

"God Dean! You don't need to worry about anything because I…" I choked on the words, stopping myself because I realized the words that were going to escape.

His face softened, "You what?"

"I..I...I…" I turned and ran smack right into the glass door, face first. I ran into it hard enough that I bounced back and fell on my ass. I stared at my reflection for a moment, watching the red creep up my neck and to my cheeks. I heard a couple of snorts and then Dean busted a gut. I pulled my knees up and buried my face there. His hand ran down my back, he slid down behind me and wrapped his arms around me, body still shaking with laughter.

"You're an ass." I mumbled into my lap.

"I know." There was a long pause in which he buried his face into the back of my neck, "Jen?"

"Hmm?"

His arms tightened around me and nuzzled my neck, "Me too babe."

After a few moments I finally looked up, I caught his reflection staring at me in the dark glass. I smiled tentatively and his lips twitched in response. I sat up straighter and turned my head, Dean rested his forehead on my temple. He grabbed my earlobe between his teeth and tugged lightly. I smacked his leg playfully, "Stop that... It's weird."

He started kissing my neck, "You like weird and you know it."

I giggled as his hands moved over my body, a knock at the door stopped him, "Shit. Every. Single. God-damn time." Dean mumbled, getting up and pulling me to my feet with him. Gordon was on the other side holding a stack of papers. He came in and laid a county map out on the table,

"This is the best pattern I can establish. It's sketchy at best."

Dean pointed, "Looks like it's all coming from this side of town. Which means the nest would be around here someplace, right?"

Gordon nodded, "Yep, that's what I'm thinking. Problem is, there's thirty-five, forty farms out there. I've searched about half of them already, but nothing yet. They're covering their tracks real good. "

I sighed, "I guess that leaves half the county to search…" I looked over at the clock, "Hey Dean, where is Sam at?"

He looked down at his watch, "I dunno. He should be around…"

Gordon cut him off, "Car's parked outside, keys are on the table. Probably went for a walk. Seems like the take-a-walk type."

Dean sighed and looked around worriedly, "Yeah, he is, but…"

The door swung open and Sam rushed in. He shoots a look between me and Dean who looks back at his brother worriedly, "Where you been?"

Sam shifts nervously, "Can I talk to you two real quick?"

Dean turned to Gordon, "You mind chillin' out for a couple minutes?"

Gordon waved him off, "Yeah, go ahead."

Me and Dean followed Sam to the middle of the parking lot, "Dean... Jen, maybe we've got to rethink this hunt."

Dean shrugged, "What are you talking about? Where were you?"

"In the nest."

I stared at him, "You were in the freaking nest? How did you find it?"

Sam scoffed, "They found me."

"How'd you get out? How many'd you kill?" Dean asked.

"None."

Dean scoffed, "Well Sam, they didn't just let you go."

"That's exactly what they did."

"All right, well, where the hell is it at?"

Sam bit the inside of his cheek, "I was blindfolded, I don't know."

"Well, you've got to know something.", Dean was almost yelling.

"We went over that bridge outside of town, but Dean, listen. Maybe we shouldn't go after them."

"Why Sam?" I inquired because none of this was making any sense. Vamps just didn't pass up a free meal ticket, especially since this meal ticket was a hunter.

Sam shrugged, "I don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people."

Dean chuckled, annoyed, "You're joking. Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are."

"The cattle mutilations. They said they live off of animal blood."

"And you believed them?"

I cut Dean off, "That would make sense. I found that fang in that cow's throat. I mean, technically it could be possible."

Sam held out his arms, "And look at me, Dean. They let me go without a scratch."

Dean rubbed his temples, "Wait, so you're saying... No, man, no way. I don't know why they let you go. I don't really care. We find 'em, we waste 'em. "

"Why?" Sam raised his palms.

"What part of 'vampires' don't you understand, Sam? If it's supernatural, we kill it, end of story. That's our job."

I sighed, not knowing what to think. This was not going to go over well between them though and the yelling continued, with Sam first this time, "No, Dean, that is not our job. Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil!"

"Of course they're killing people, that's what they do. They're all the same, Sam. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of them."

"No, Dean, I don't think so, all right? Not this time."

"Guys!" I pleaded quietly, but was ignored. Dean continued to yell, "Gordon's been on those vamps for a year, man, he knows."

"Gordon?" Sam scoffed.

"Yes."

"You're taking his word for it?"

Dean nodded, "That's right."

"Ellen says he's bad news."

Dean took a step back, "You called Ellen?...And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her, Sam, no thanks, I'll go with Gordon."

"Right, 'cause Gordon's such an old friend. You don't think I can see what this is?"

Shit, Sam was gonna go there, I tried to get in between them, "Guys! C'mon, let's just track down these SOB's and get outta town."

Dean pushed past me, "What are you talking about?"

Sam stepped up, challenging him, "He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he? A poor one."

"Shut up, Sam." Dean snarled.

"He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day."

Dean turned to walk away, "You know what? I'm not even going to talk about this."

But Sam kept right on at it, "You know, you slap on this big fake smile but I can see right through it. Because I know how you feel, Dean. Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory."

Dean stiffened, "Okay." Then he turned back quickly, slugging Sam in the face, hard. I stood there in shock. Sam paused, turned back but didn't rise to Dean's bait, "You hit me all you want. It won't change anything."

Dean got in Sam's face, "I'm going to that nest. You don't want to tell me where it is, fine. I'll find it myself. Jen?"

I looked between the brothers. Dean turned back and headed for the room, I gave Sam an apologetic look and then trotted after Dean. When we entered the room Gordon was gone.

"Do you think he went after them?" I asked.

Dean turned, "Probably."

"Shit." I rolled my eyes, this was gonna just be a freakin' party. Sam entered the room, "Dean, we have to stop him."

"Really, Sam? Because I say we lend a hand."

"Just give me the benefit of the doubt, would you? You owe me that." Sam pleaded.

Dean looked over at me. I shrugged and then he glanced back at his brother, "Yeah, we'll see. I'll drive. Give me the keys."

"I left them on the table earlier...Shit, he snaked the keys."

"Fuck." Dean stomped out of the room and to the car. He pulled the door open, pulling the box beneath the steering wheel out, grabbing wires, "I can't believe this. I just fixed her up, too."

The engine turned a few time and then caught. Sam was already sitting in the passenger's seat with a flashlight and a map. I leaned over the back of the seat, "Is the bridge all you got?"

Sam pulled out a pencil and started marking stuff, "The bridge was four and a half minutes from their farm."

Dean got in the driver's seat, "How do you know?"

"I counted...They took a left out of the farm, then turned right onto a dirt road, followed that for two minutes slightly up a hill, then took another quick right and we hit the bridge." As he spoke, he traced roads along the map.

Dean revved the engine, "You're good. You're a monster pain in the ass, but you're good."

Dean drove the Impala through the early hours of the morning. Sam was staring at the map. I was just hoping we all got out of this, well, not in a bunch of pieces or as vamp chow. We crossed the bridge on the far side of town, Dean stopped the car, "Which way?"

Sam consulted the map for a moment, "Pull up this road, you are looking for a dirt road a few miles up."

* * *

Not fifteen minutes later we were parked outside a farmhouse, Gordon's car was parked out front. We piled out, grabbing weapons. I had to hand it to Sam, he had nailed the location. Entering the house, I could hear Gordon talking lowly. I pointed in the direction and Dean nodded, flanking me. In this dining room Gordon dips a knife into a jar of blood and slices at this female vamp. Then he turns to us, "Sam, Dean, Jen. Come on down."

Dean walked forward, speaking slowly, "Hey, Gordon. What's going on?"

Gordon smiled, "Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood. She's going to tell us where all her little friends are, aren't you? Wanna help?"

Dean held up his hands, "Look, man…"

"Grab a knife. I was just about to start in on the fingers." Then he drug his knife across Lenore's arm, her veins darkening.

I stepped around the opposite side of the table, "Whoa! Let's just all take a moment and chill out. Okay?"

Gordon sniggered, "I'm completely chill."

Sam flanked Dean, "Gordon, put the knife down."

Sam stepped towards Gordon, but Dean put a hand on his chest, stopping him. Gordon stared at them, "Sounds like it's Sam here that needs to chill."

Sam moved up again, "Just step away from her, all right?"

"You're right. I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk. Might as well put her out of her misery…" Gordon pulled out his machete, "...I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane."

He turned on Lenore, but Sam blocked him, "Gordon, I'm letting her go."

Gordon turned the knife to Sam's chest, "You're not doing a damn thing."

"Gordon…" I warned, "You want to think very carefully about what you are about to do…"

"Let's talk about this." Dean cut in, trying to move his attention.

"What's there to talk about? It's like I said, Dean. No shades of gray."

Dean nodded, "Yeah. I hear ya. And I know how you feel."

"Do you?" Gordon smiled.

"That vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but this one…"

Gordon laughed, "Killed my sister? That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So I hunted her down, and I killed her myself."

Dean stopped dead, "You did what?"

"It wasn't my sister anymore, it wasn't human. I didn't blink. And neither would you."

I shook my head, "You knew? You knew about the vamps not killin' anyone and you didn't care?"

"Listen sweetheart, you gotta learn that a monster is just that. A monster. And I can prove it to y'all right now."

Before I could make a move on him, Gordon grabbed Sam and sliced the knife across his arm. Dean drew his gun, "Let him go. Now!"

I drew my gun as well, "Gordon! Let Sam go, or I put you down."

"Relax. If I wanted to kill him he'd already be on the floor. Just making a little point."

He held Sam's arm over Lenore so that the blood dripped on her face. Her fangs descended and she hissed. Dean cocked his safety off, "Hey!"

"You think she's so different? Still want to save her? Look at her. They're all the same. Evil, bloodthirsty." Gordon was yelling. Lenore's face contorted and she retracted her fangs, shaking her head back and forth, "No... No."

"You hear her, Gordon?" Sam asked. The vamp kept shaking her head, mumbling to herself. Sam pushes Gordon away from himself and begins untiing Lenore, "We are done here."

Dean keeps his gun on Gordon, "Sam, get her out of here."

Sam picked up Lenore and rushed by Dean. Gordon goes to follow but I flip off my safety and Dean pulled up again, speaking firmly, "Uh-uh. Uh-uh!Gordon, I think you and I've got some things to talk about."

"Get out of my way." Gordon hissed.

Dean shrugged, "Sorry. I can't do that."

"You're not serious."

Dean exhaled heavily, "I'm having a hard time believing it too, but I know what I saw. If you want those vampires, you gotta go through me."

Gordon nods, debating on his next more. He jams his knife into the table, "Fine then."

Dean looks at the knife and then to his gun. I shake my head but he pulls the clip out of the gun and tosses it on the table.

"Dean." I warn. He winks at me, "It's fine. Put the gun down. Go help Sam."

"No."

"This is between me and Godon here." I consider for a moment and then place the gun back into my pants, but do not leave. I wasn't having Dean alone with this crazy son of a bitch. Gordon nods and then swings at Dean, hitting him square in the jaw. Dean comes back at him and they exchange blows. As Dean is flung back, Gordon grabs the knife.

"Really?" Dean asks as Gordon slashes at him, "What are you doing, man? You doing this for a fang? Come on, Dean, we're on the same side here."

Dean laughed, "I don't think so, you sadistic bastard."

"You're not like your brother. You're a killer. Like me."

Gordon throws Dean across the room and lunges at him with the knife. I tackle him from behind, slinging him backwards on top of me in a choke hold. He stabs downward, but lodges the knife in the floorboards. Dean regains his footing and pulls Gordon off of me and against a wall, continually punching him. Finally, when Gordon is unable to fight anymore, Dean pins him under his elbow. Leading Gordon back towards the dining room he slams his head into a wall, "Opps...Sorry."

I grab some ropes and Dean shoves him into a chair, "You know, I might be like you, and I might not. But you're the one tied up right now."

Dean pulled up a chair, sitting on it backwards watching Gordon. I leaned up against the wall, still holding onto Gordon's knife. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon, light pouring through the windows. Gordon just glared off in space. I looked at Dean's face, his skin had burst in a long line across his cheekbone, another huge bruise along his opposite jaw. We watched the quiet Gordon for an hour, until a truck engine rumbled and pulled away. A door slammed as Sam returned, "Did I miss anything."

Dean got up and started pacing, "Nah, not much. Lenore get out okay?"

Sam leaned on the door jam, "Yeah. All of 'em did."

Dean stopped and nodded, "Then I guess our work here is done. How you doin', Gordy? Gotta tinkle yet?

I scoffed and Gordon glared at him. Dean kneeled in front of him and continued, "All right. Well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie you."

I stepped up and jammed Gordon's knife down into the table. He glared at me and I smirked in response.

"You guys ready to go?" Sam asked.

Dean stood up, "Not yet... I guess this is goodbye. Well, it's been real."

Dean's fiist slammed upwards into Gordon's jaw, the chair rocked and flipped backwards. Dean turned, "Okay. I'm good now. We can go."

I smirked and followed the boys out. Dean winced walking down the stairs, at the bottom he set his feet, "Sam? Clock me one."

Sam turned, confused, "What?"

Dean waved his hand at his face, "Come on. I won't even hit you back. Let's go."

"No!" Sam scoffed.

"Let's go, you get a freebie. Hit me, come on."

Sam laughed, "You look like you just went twelve rounds with a block of cement, Dean. I'll take a raincheck."

Thank God, because Dean did looked like he lost a fight with a woodchipper. Sam turned and took off towards the car again. Suddenly, Sam turned on his heels, "Hey Jen? What happened to your face."

I stopped in my tracks, looking at Dean. He smirked and then pointed at his forehead and eye. I must have been bruising, "I...um...um."

Dean laughed, "She lost a fight with a glass door."

"Thanks a lot Dean."

"Anytime…" Just as Dean was about to get in the car he spoke again, "I wish we never took this job. It's jacked everything up."

Sam went to open the door but leaned on the roof of the car, "What do you mean?"

"Think about all the hunts we went on, Sammy, our whole lives…What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know? I mean, the way Dad raised us... "

"Dean, after what happened to Mom, Dad did the best he could."

Dean sighed, "I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect. And the way he raised us, to hate those things; and man, I hate 'em. I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill I didn't even think about it; hell, I even enjoyed it."

Sam gave a sad smile, "You didn't kill Lenore."

"No, but every instinct told me to. I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill 'em all."

Sam smacked the top of the car lightly, "Yeah, Dean, but you didn't. And that's what matters."

"Yeah. Well, 'cause you're a pain in my ass."

"Guess I might have to stick around to be a pain in the ass, then."

"Thanks." Dean said quietly.

"Don't mention it." Sam said as he climbed into the car. I got in the backseat. Out of the window I watched Dean stare into the distance for a few moments, thoughtfully. I rolled down the window and patted his hip lightly, "C'mon… You can have your self-realization moment later, we need to check out of the motel and get the hell outta town."

"Alright." He looked down at me and smiled then climbed into the car. We drove off, eventually checking outta the motel and headed down the road. At least we had gotten done before the afternoon.


	20. Race to King's Mountain

****A/N: Hi! this is an original chapter, I split it into two parts so here's the first. I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank my sister, any parts from Skylar's POV she wrote as a guest writer. This chapter and the next were a ton of fun to write because of this!**

* * *

We were in this smokey ass, shady bar in the middle of nowhere. Sam was sitting at a high table in a corner and, as always, had his face buried in a laptop and a stack of papers. I swear to God the guy never let himself have any fun. Dean and I were playing pool, throwing back a couple of beers. Dean scratched, "Son of a bitch."

I lined up my shot and winked at him, "Not your night, Dean?"

"Guess its not."

I pocketed the last stripe and walked over to the other side to line up for the eight ball. Dean didn't move, I smacked him with the stick lightly, "Sorry Jen. Am I in your way?"

I smiled, "Smartass."

He moved just enough so I could bend down. I pulled back to take my shot and I felt his arm wrap around my waist and his lips moved to my ear, and he whispered innocently "How am I a smartass?"

His lips moved to the side of my neck, dragging lightly. I tried to ignore him, he was being a sore loser. I pulled back again, lining up, trying to stop the butterflies in my stomach. As I shot, Dean buried his lips in my neck and the distraction was enough to make me totally miss the cue-ball, Dean started howling. I turned around and backhanded him in the chest. "Dean, you are an ass!"

He just kept laughing and lined up his next shot, pocketing it and the next three with ease. Fine then, Dean wanted to play this way, let's play. As he lined up for the eight ball, I leaned on the corner, watching. He glanced over at me warily, I winked and stood up, leaning back against the table next to him. He kept lining up and then looking at me again, over and over. I put my forehead against the side of his head and spoke lowly, "Are you gonna play sometime today?"

He sighed heavily, "C'mon Jen, you gotta let me win once in awhile."

I didn't answer, just pressed my lips against his jawbone. He exhaled sharply, "Fuck-in-ay." He muttered and attempted the shot. The cue ball was hit, and jumped into the corner pocket, scratching. Dean stood up, looking down at me, chewing the inside of his cheek, shaking his head. I just stared back, smirking. He reached down, pulling me to my tiptoes, kissing me lightly.

"Jen you need to stop that crap." He growled.

I pulled back, I thought we had just been messing around. I searched his eyes, "I was just playing around."

He laughed lightly, and then muttered, "Sometimes you are so clueless...that's not what I meant."

I raised my eyebrows, still confused. Dean sighed, "You are gonna make me say it aren't you?..." He pressed his hips up against me and I immediately understood, he bent to my ear "...If you don't stop that shit you are going to either end up in a bathroom stall or in the back of the car."

I hadn't even thought about that. Oops. Wrapping my arms around his waist I pressed against him harder, a smile played at my lips, "You weren't playing fair though."

"Alright, I will play fair." He said grudgingly, frowning. I stood on my toes and brushed my lips against his jaw. Turning, I lined up my shot and won. I spun back to him and he just shook his head in defeat. "Seriously, Jen, that just ain't right. There has got to be a bar game you aren't good at."

"Sorry to disappoint Dean… I guess I'm really bad at foosball. Does that count?"

"I guess it's gonna have to if I want to keep my man card."

"Again? Or shall I school you at something else?"

"Ah-ha-ha. How about a couple of shots and then we try again."

"Dean Winchester! Are you trying to get me drunk?" I feigned offense.

He laughed, "I would never dream of it...Whiskey?"

I shook my head, "Jager-bombs?"

"That isn't a shot Jen."

I shrugged, "It has a shot in it."

"See , now I think you are trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me."

I chuckled, "Because that would be so horrible."

We went to the bartender and got two, clinking shot glass and then dropping them in, chugging. Then ordering another, then another, and one more round after that. I slammed the glass down on the bar and then jutted my chin toward where Sam was sitting, "Does he ever let himself have a good time?"

"Well you see, he doesn't have the loose moral standards that are required of people to have fun in bars."

"I feel bad for him sometimes."

Dean nodded, "He gets his kicks from doing nerdy stuff, like reading and research...C'mon let's play another round of pool."

We played another round, but this time we fucked with each other from the very first shot. Trash talking and what not. Right when I was about to hit my last shot the bartender yelled for last call. I looked up for a second and by the time I looked back down, all the balls were pocketed and Dean was smirking, "You can't beat me if we don't finish the game."

"Technically. But we both know."

He shook his head, "Nope."

Sam walked up beside his brother, "You guys ready to hit the road?"

I sighed, "Sure."

Sam drove us back to the motel, we had got a room at before we hit the bar. After spending the last couple of days driving across the central Midwest, we had all needed a decent night sleep and a shower. Dean flipped the TV on and Sam sat on the couch, opening his laptop. I went into the bathroom and changed into a tank and shorts, then brushing my teeth. As I came out Dean walked by Sam and shut the laptop, "C'mon man, you need a decent night sleep. As your big brother I am telling you that sitting at a computer screen that long is not healthy."

"Dean, we need another hunt."

I plopped down on a bed, "Another hunt will turn up eventually. There is always something that needs killing."

"Well then why am I not finding anything?"

I rolled my eyes, "Chill your roll Sam."

He sighed, ignoring me and opening his laptop back up. Dean shook his head, ditched his clothes down to his boxers and t-shirt and dropped onto the bed next to me, flipping through channels. Finally he stopped on one, _The Next Generation_ reruns on.

"This cool?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna be watching more than the back of my eyelids here soon though." And sure enough, before the opening credits were over I was sound asleep.

* * *

Dean looked over at Jen on the first commercial break and she was passed out on the edge of the bed. He sighed and drug her towards the middle and threw a blanket over her.

"Sam...seriously, shut that shit down and get some shut eye. Whatever you find can wait for five to six hours."

Sam looked over, "I'm not tired."

"Whatever...You can only run on coffee and donut holes so long. You are gonna crash at some point." Dean went back to watching TV, but also fell asleep before the episode was over. Sam had noticed when he started snoring, caused by him sleeping on his back. Around four, Sam's vision was going blurry, Dean had been right. He needed sleep. He turned down the blasting volume on the TV, and then headed for his bed. As he walked past Dean and Jen he couldn't help but chuckle at the death grip that Dean had her in. They were definitely an odd couple. Sam knew if he ever asked them outright, both would deny 'being together'.The thought made him laugh again. But then he stopped, becoming sad. He remembered what it was like having that with Jess, and even though he was happy for Dean, he couldn't help being a little pissed. Pissed about how his mom, girlfriend, and now dad had been ripped away from him.

* * *

In my dream there was this annoying tone. I couldn't find it for what seemed like hours, but then it hit me. I wasn't dreaming. I tried to wake myself up and reach, but my arms were pinned down and I realized I was incredibly warm, too warm. I opened my eyes, squirming, trying to get out of Dean's vise grip and to my phone without waking him up. But it was impossible.

"Dean! I hissed and all I received was a groan.

"Fuck." I wrestled, breaking free and snatched my phone, flipping it open. "Yeah?"

_"Jen, is that you?"_

"Sky?"

_"I know you gave this number to me only for emergencies…"_

"It's fine...what's up?" I flopped back onto the bed, trying to stay quiet so the boys wouldn't wake up.

_"I...I think this might be an emergency."_

"What? Are mom and dad being hard-asses again?"

_"No...Jen…"_

"What?"

_"Remember when you told me and Mags about that stuff before you left after the accident and how we couldn't tell mom or dad?_"

I stiffened, "Yeah, what's going on?"

_"I think that stuff is happening."_

I flew out of bed getting a pen and paper, "Where the hell are you at?"

_"Me and Mags are down in North Carolina on spring break."_

"Is it that time of year already?...Nevermind. I need an exact address."

_"Don't you want to know what is going on?"_

"It doesn't matter...I would rather be safe than sorry. Address. Now."

_"We are staying at the Super 8 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. People have been disappearing in the state park, a few miles up."_

"What's the name?"

_"King's Mountain."_

"Ok…" I looked at the clock by the bed, it was a little after six, "Dammit! We are over by St. Louis...It is gonna take me almost eleven hours to get there."

_"You don't have to…"_

"Shut-up. I'm leaving in the next ten minutes. Text me the room number. You and Mags stay in the room. Do not leave. Order some take-out, if you are short on cash, call me back and I will give a credit card number."

_"But…"_

"You need to listen to me...Do you have any friends with you guys?"

_"Yes."_

"Try to get them to stay put too. If you can't, don't worry about it. You two need to stay in that room. Do you understand?"

_"Yes."_

"Alright. I will see you soon." I flipped the phone shut and started tossing stuff in my bags.

"Dean! Sam! We gotta go!" I started tossing their shit in their bags. "Dammit. Let's go!"

This time they both jumped up, Dean rubbed his eyes, "What's with the o-dark-thirty wake up?"

"I just got a call about a hunt we need to leave now."

Sam swings off his bed and gets dressed, "Who was it?"

"My sister."

* * *

"Yeah, yeah...The Department of Natural Resources thanks you for your time and cooperation." I slammed the phone shut and stared at the countryside flying by. By noon, I had made over two dozen phone calls to the local police, state police, wildlife services, local newspapers. If it was within a hundred miles of King's Mountain, I had called them. So far I really didn't have anything, no bodies had been found but there had been eight disappearances in the last month within ten miles and another fifteen on the outskirts. Over the last hundred and fifty years almost forty similar cases. No one had ever connected the dots because of the long time period. Dean's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, "Hey Jen?..."

"Hmm?", Sam and Dean had talked to each other intermittently the entire time, but neither of them had addressed me since I told them where we were heading.

"When was the last time you heard from your sister?"

"Directly? Almost two years."

Sam cleared his throat, "Do you think it is an actual hunt?"

My face set hard, "It is a possibility...I know you two are skeptical but we have gone on a lot less. She was scared, something is going on. And there are people disappearing."

Dean made eye contact with me through the rear-view, "Alright. We are about two-ish hours out. I have been pretty liberal with the speed limit, so we will get there early."

* * *

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the Super 8 motel, and Jen and Dean got out, but Sam stayed in the car, pulling out his laptop to steal some wifi. Jen started heading for the door and then paused, "You guys mind chillin' here? I didn't tell them I was bringing anyone and they might be jumpy."

Dean nodded, "Okay."

Jen stood in front of him and mumbled, "And when I do introduce you can we cool it on the..you know?"

He furrowed his brow, Jen sighed, "I never really drug a guy home and I don't want that to be a focal point. I would rather keep them safe and get the hunt done."

Dean nodded and then sat back on the hood of the Impala, waiting. Jen entered the Super 8, and climbed the stairs to the second floor, and down the hall. Room 232. She paused, too scared to knock. After a moment, she forced her hand up and rapped on the door, twice.

* * *

**Skylar's POV:**

For the most part of the last eleven hours I had been wandering the small room, nervously waiting for Jen. I had decided not to tell Maggie, cause, well, she has a temper and didn't take too well to Jen leaving us. I glance back over at her, she is watching the TV. It looked like some crime show. I sigh and out my phone, checking for any messages. I jumped a bit at a knock and glance toward the door.

"Its probably Brady back with takeout. He forgot his card" Maggie said boredly. Her boyfriend had been sent out to get some food earlier. I nod and try to get up, but before I can grab the door Maggie huffs and gets up, impatient. She doesn't bother to look at the peep hole as she opens it.

She tenses as she sees Jen standing on the other side. Jen looks almost the same as I remember. Mags face turns grim and she clenches her fists. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Mags, ease up, I asked her to." I said quickly.

Maggie turned to me, eyes flaming. She opened her mouth to say more, but clamped it shut and turned on her heel, her fist connecting with Jen's face.

"Mags!" I say sharply, in shock. Maggie stalks out of the room and I run over to Jen who is still standing in the doorway. She stretches her jaw and rubs it with her hand.

"I guess I may have deserved that." Jen said with a small smile. I shake my head.

"No, she's just in a real bitchy mood. Per usual, I suppose." I answer. I pull Jen into the room and have her sit down on a bed.

* * *

Dean waited outside for Jen, looking down at his boots. Only a few minutes after Jen entered, a door slammed. Sam opened the car door and pointed, "Dean! Where the hell is Jen going?"

Dean looked up to see a mess of brown curls disappear around the corner, "I dunno."

He got up and trotted after, "Jen!"

She didn't respond, just kept stalking away. Dean kept jogging after her, "Where the hell are you going?"

He caught up and as he grabbed her shoulder, realized his mistake. This girl was an inch or so too tall, in different clothes, and slightly lankier than Jen. The second his hand made contact, the girl whipped around, smacking him in the throat with one hand, and with the other sprayed him in the eyes with pepper spray. Dean choked and crumpled to the ground, unable to speak and unable to see.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, seeing the events unfold before him. The girl glared at him as he ran over, brandishing the spray upwards again. Sam saw the obvious resemblance between Jen and the girl standing there. Besides the hair, their faces had similar structures but this one was younger and less hardened, more freckled. She had the same strong-set jaw and challenging stare as Jen.

"Son of a bitch." Dean managed to cough out. The girl jumped away, startled, and hit him with the pepper spray again. Sam grabbed her arm, "Hey! Hey! It is okay. We are here with your sister."

She turned on Sam, smacking his arm downward, "My sister? You mean the ass that left us and then decided to show back up all of a sudden to supposedly help?"

Sam shrugged, "Yeah...I guess."

"Sammy!" Dean choked out. Sam grabbed his brother, hauling him upwards, "You wanna take us to Jen? We can explain, but let's get outta the parking lot before someone calls the cops."

The girl looked at him suspiciously and then shrugged, "Why not? Things couldn't possibly get more fucked up around here…"

* * *

**Skylar's POV:**

There was a bustle at the door and Maggie slammed in followed by two gigantic guys, one leaning on the other heavily. I looked to Jen, but she had already jumped up and was looking at the smaller of the two, "What the hell happened?"

The taller one answered her, "Your sister pepper sprayed him."

Jen shot Mags a nasty look, "Sam, sit him on the bed. Mags...get me a cold rag and some water."

Mags was leaning against a nightstand, "Why should I?"

"You fucking pepper sprayed him!"

Maggie rolled her eyes, but went to the bathroom and ran some water. The one that Jen had called Sam sat the other one on the bed, he was groaning. Jen squatted in front of him, inspecting his face. His eyes were red, puffy and watering uncontrollably, he mumbled again. Mags handed Jen a wet rag. Jen grabbed his chin and pulled it upward, wiping out his eyes. He jerked away, but Jen clamped down on his chin,

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...this hurts me too." She said dryly.

"I highly doubt that...by the way your sister is a bigger pain in the ass than you."

Jen smiled, but tilted his head back farther, his fists clenching on his lap, "Seriously, Dean, hold still."

I tilt my head slightly as I watch them. Watching Jen actually take care of someone other than family is a very odd sight. Actually, odds not the right word. More like its never happened even once. I rub my eyes once to make sure this isn't some weird dream.

"Are you two...?" I start. Jen swings around and at her mortified look I stop. I redirect at Sam and Dean, "Are you two here to help?"

"No...I came to get fucking blinded, genius." Dean replied sharply.

I go to retort, but glance at Jen and bite my tongue, trying a new approach "Well, I'd offer condolences, but don't exactly have anything unless Maggie didn't eat the rest of the pie."

Maggie smirked devilishly, "No...We don't have food until Brady gets back."

Jen ignores her and snaps her fingers at me, "Hey...do you still wear contacts?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You wanna grab saline solution so I can finish this up."

I nod and jump up, going into the bathroom and bringing the large bottle back to her. "Here."

"Thanks." She tilts his head all the way back and dumps a huge amount in his eyes.

"Ahh." He growls in pain.

"I know, breaks my heart." She says in a monotone voice as she dumps more solution into his other eye.

"Jen, you're an ass." Dean said to her.

I smirk a little, easily seeing no malice behind the words. I glance at the other guy, I mean, Sam was it? He is just standing there, shifting his weight uncomfortably. I look away and pull my laptop up. I refresh the page its on and go still, "Sorry to bother but there's been another disappearance"

Jen turned, "Read it to me."

"Another mysterious disappearance has taken place at Kings Mountain. Kyle Jordan was last seen at…"

"Alright Sky...cut the shit, why did you really call? You wouldn't notice a few stragglers going missing."

I swallow a bit nervously. " Uh huh. Its all over the news. Who wouldn't notice?"

Jen stood up and came over to where I was, "What did you see?"

"Nothing" I say firmly this time, trying not to panic.

Maggie snorted, "She thinks she saw a ghost."

Jen and the boys shared a look and then she glanced back at me, then to Mags, "Did you see anything Mags?"

"There was someone there but I couldn't find them."

"Of course you wouldn't find it if it was a ghost" I snapped.

"There's no such thing!" Mags was practically yelling.

Jen sighed heavily, "How many friends are with you guys?"

I hold my breath for a second to calm down and ignore Mags. "Three."

Jen crossed her arms impatiently, "I need some more information than that Sky."

"Reed, Melissa and Brady. Reed and Brady are in room 230. Melissa is with us"

"Alright…" Jen started, "I'm gonna go get a room and we will figure what the hell is going on here. Okay?"

I nodded a bit. "Yeah." I watched as they walked out and shut the door behind them. I looked back to see Mags glaring at me. "Did you really just call her down because of your imaginary friend?"

I glared back a bit. "It was not imaginary and you know it!"

"Whatever." Mags flopped onto the bed. I watched her for a bit. "...So what do you think of Jen and Dean?"

"He can go die in a hole"

"No I mean as in relationship wise."

Mags looks thoughtful for a second before turning into a scowl. "Yeah right...and even if they were, I don't like it."

"Why not?" I inquire, slightly surprised. She turns to me. "Its...its not healthy" she grumbles before looking away. She turns up the TV, indicating she's done talking.

I sigh a bit and sit on the other bed. Its not hard to see she's jealous. Probably because they seem to get along better than any couple in our high school. I slide my computer over to me and open up a new tab.

"Sky..." I look up at Mags.

"Yeah?"

"...you think Brady and I will have something like that someday?"

"You do realize you're asking the asexual with no relationship right?"

"Yeah but...you've got pretty good predictions and shit." Mags looks at me hopefully. I look down at the bed.

"...You guys'll have it one day"

I feel her gaze on me and finally glance up at her. She looks somber and calm for once. She gives a small smile. "Wanna order something sweet? Treats on me" she pulls out a wad of cash. I'm in shock. She was holding out? That little piece of rocky road. Then it hits me. She wouldn't spend her money.

"...Mags go give it back to which ever one you took it from"

* * *

**Jen's POV:**

I walked out of the room trailed by Sam and Dean, I wanted to go down and get a room near my sisters and their friends. Dean spun me around, "You are a hunter and you have never had the talk with your sisters?"

"What the hell was I supposed to say. 'Hey kids, guess what? Ghosts are not only real, so are vampires, werewolves, changelings, shape-shifters, and so is pretty much anything else you have ever had nightmares about.' How well do you think that would have gone over?"

"So they just think you left them?" Dean's eyes were concerned.

"I mean, Mags saw that one demon. And I left when a skin-walker followed me home. I didn't tell them anything other than some stuff can't be explained…It was better that they didn't know."

"Jen, you can't let them think that you just walked out."

I turned for the stairs, "Oh, yes I can. Watch me."

I heard them stomping down the stairs behind me, I walked to the front desk, "Listen, I need a room on the second floor. Either room 228 or 234."

"I'm sorry miss, I'm not supposed to take requests."

"I don't have time for this shit...Give me 234 and I will throw in an extra fifty for you."

The clerk jumped back and started plugging stuff into the computer, "Alright miss...how long?"

"Give me a week to start with." I handed him a card and he handed it back with two sets of keys once it was swiped. I tossed the one key to Sam, Dean was standing in my way. I grabbed his chin lightly, "You look like shit by the way."

"Well I had this really shitty doctor…"

I laughed and shoved him lightly, "C'mon, let's go figure this shit out."

We slid a key into the lock of the room right next to my sisters. Sam had run out to the car to grab some of our stuff, he returned quickly, "Have you guys seen my wallet?"

Dean shook his head, "Can't say I have. When's the last time you remember having it?"

Sam shrugged, "When we got here I guess."

I thought for a moment, then it dawned on me, "Son of bitch! I will be right back."

I stormed out of the room and rapped on the door next to ours. Sky flung the door open and I shoved my way in, "Mags give it back."

"Don't know what you are talking about."

"Sam's wallet and the cash that was in it. Give it now."

She sighed, rolling her eyes and then tossing me the wallet. Had to hand it to the girl, she was a great pick-pocket. Almost as good as me, "What about the cash I know you snagged?"

Mags grabbed some cash out of her pocket and handed it over to me, "Thank you."

I exhaled heavily, "Listen, I know you are pissed at me, but it was for the best."

"Whatever."

I shook my head, "Where are all your friends at?"

Sky cut in, "Brady went to get some food, Reed and Melissa are watching a movie in the other room."

I nodded, "Alrighty. We are probably gonna go check this thing out in a little bit. You just hang tight."

I returned to my room and tossed Sam his wallet, "You should be ashamed...getting pick-pocketed by a fifteen year old girl."

Dean started laughing, "Man, you are losing your touch."

"Shut-up. At least I didn't get my ass kicked by one." Sam retorted and went back to his laptop, "Jen, this stuff sounds pretty legit. There have been a ton of sightings over the years."

I nodded, "Well I figured a battle ground was as good of place as any for a vengeful spirit. Actually, I'm surprised we don't run into shit like this more often."

Sam agreed, "Well it seems like whatever it is it is hitting at night. Should we go check it out this evening?"

Dean looked down at his watch, "Sunset is in an hour."

I flopped onto one of the beds with my laptop, "We will leave once that kid gets back."

* * *

As soon as Brady returned the boys and I took off. It was only a twenty minute drive to King's Mountain. Even though the visitor's center was closed, we parked in camping and jumped the gate. Carrying with us each a duffle bag full of salt, shotguns, and some iron. The light dirt road was visible in the fainting sun, so there was no need for flashlights yet.

"How far is it?" Dean asked.

"We got about a mile up this road…" I began, "...Then the path around the battlefield is almost two miles. I'm guessing the spook would be somewhere in there."

Sam was in stride beside us, "There are only about a dozen or so people that it could be...We should just need to get a decent look at it, or figure out what and how it is getting these people."

I thought for a moment, "How do you think it is getting so far, or choosing the people?"

Sam debated for a second, "It will be easier once we know who. I mean ghosts can haunt wide areas, it just isn't common."

When we arrived at the trail head there was very little light of us pulled out a shotgun loaded with salt rounds and slung the bags back over our shoulders. I pulled out a flashlight and shone it into the trees, "Who wants to go into the creepy forest of death first?"

Dean chuckled, bumping my shoulder with his, "Ladies first."

I rolled my eyes and took off slowly into the woods, whistling lowly. Dean and Sam followed loosely, each taking their own path. It was hilly, but not too bad. About thirty or so minutes later Dean called out, "I don't know where his ghost is, but it needs to stop jerkin' us around."

I laughed lightly and kept scanning the woods. Suddenly there was a twig snap. I stopped in my tracks, Dean saw and stopped as well. I held up a finger and Dean nodded. Spinning around we pulled the guns and flashlights up. Up on a set of five screaming and startled teenagers.

"Mother fucker." I hissed, "I told you two to stay put at the hotel."

Mags stepped up, "What the hell are you guys doing in the woods with guns at night?"

"Mags, Sky…" I looked past them, "...and friends, go back to the hotel."

"What the hell is going to happen? Jen, it is just the woods." Mags said, implying that I was clinically insane. Dean laughed without humor, "How about you and your buddies run along home and leave this to the professionals?"

Sky spoke quietly, "We just want to know what's going on."

Maggie scoffed at him, but jumped when Sam appeared out of nowhere, "What are they doing here?"

I sighed, "They followed us. And now they are leaving."

I started corralling them towards the park exit, pissed at the time they were wasting. I exhaled heavily, and my breath fogged despite the previous warm weather. Shit. Panicking, I whipped around to Dean, who glances around nervously, "Jen, get them outta here!"

"What's going on?" Mags demanded.

I shoved her, "We need to go. Now!"

Suddenly, the girl, Melissa, let out an ear piercing screech. I turned quickly to where she was looking. Behind Sam was a red coated figure with a bloody front, holes riddling the coat, "Sam! Behind you!"

Sam whipped around and pumped a shell into the figure that smoked and dissipated. Me and the boys searched wildly, "Sam! Dean! We gotta go!"

"What the hell was that?" One of the two boys yelled. I started shoving them all, "Go! Run!"

They turned and started moving but another figure, this time in plain 1700's clothing stood in their way. He had part of his face canoed out. I pulled up my gun, "Down!"

They hesitated, but when the figure started moving towards them, scattered. I let a round loose into the ghost, and it misted away. "Run dammit!"

Mags took off out front, followed by Reed, Brady and Melissa. Sky hesitated and I grabbed her collar, shoving her in the direction of the cars, "Go! Get to the car!"

They took off, Dean and Sam were still scanning the woods, "Let's get the hell outta here."

I started sprinting through the woods, catching up to the mass of teenagers. Sam and Dean right behind me. The red coat flashed out of nowhere and attacked Melissa, who began screaming again. I pulled off a shot, and it disappeared again. I grabbed her by the back of the shirt and drug her with me, until her feet began to work again. It was still almost a mile to the cars, most of the kids were out of breath and slowing down. When we hit the road I yelled out, "Stop here!...Get down."

I pulled them down and we squatted down as a set of headlights flew by on the road, it was the park rangers. The one boy tried to yell out and I put a hand over his mouth quieting him, hissing, "Shut the hell up."

"Why?" Melissa asked, "Let Reed go...They can help."

Dean scoffed, "Yeah...They will help put you in the rubber room."

The other boy, Brady, spoke "What the hell was that?"

Dean turned to him, "Listen, we don't exactly have time for the talk right now. Let us get you out of here in one piece and we will explain later."

I turned to all them, "We need to get to the cars. Who has the keys?"

Sky held up a set, I opened my hand and she tossed them to me, "We get to the cars, just pile in. We are gonna move up the road in the ditch, if you see headlights, hit the ground...Okay, let's go."

Sam went first, staying low. The kids all followed him and me and Dean took up the rear. Everything was quiet and dark, no cars passed us. When we reached the gate, we helped them all over, followed by Sam and then Dean jumped over. I tossed him our bags and went to climb over, but when my hands hit the chains I felt the chill on my neck. Come the fuck on. I was flipped around and the plain dressed man was pinning me to the chain link, then flung me to the ground. I heard screaming, and Mags and Sky calling for me. The asphalt had ripped through my sleeve and into my skin.

"Get them outta here." I coughed and was flung on the pavement again, scraping my arms and shoulder. I was drug upwards again and flung across the road, colliding with one of the metal bars holding up the fence. This time my shoulder popped.

"Jen!" Dean yelled and then there was a shotgun blast, hands pulling me upwards. Dean hauled me to my feet and towards the fence. I began to scale it as quickly as I could with only one arm, Dean hoovered below, hanging onto my legs as I went upwards. I flung myself over the top and hopped off the other side, trotting to the cars. Dean tossed Sam the keys to the Impala, "Take some of the kids and follow us."

The only other car sitting there was a Chrysler, I clicked the keys and opened the door with my left hand, my right useless at the moment. Dean climbed in the passenger's side, my sisters and Brady climbed in the back. I shoved the keys into the ignition and squealed the tires, seeing the ghost reappear on the far side of the fence. It was still five miles of shitty roads outta the park, the speedometer never dipped below fifty-five. My shoulder was fucking burning, the rocks and asphalt dug into my skin. I tried to unbutton my shirt as I drove, Dean started pulling it off my shoulder, hissing through my teeth, "Fuck!"

"Jen, it's dislocated."

"No shit Sherlock."I snarled. I skidded the car around the next bend, seeing the Impala's headlights in the rear-view. Dean leaned over pulling the shit out of my skin, "Dammit, can't that wait?"

Dean sighed, "We gotta get it out now or I'm gonna be pickin' it out for the next two years...What do you want to do about the shoulder?"

"A few towns over there is a burger joint...We can stop and get them some food, you can pop it back in then...Shit!" Right in front of the turn to get out of the park, the red coat ghost was standing, staring us down, brandishing a sword. I looked down, the speedometer at seventy, I glanced back at the kids, "Put your heads down, and hold on!"

I pushed the pedal into the floor, bracing myself. Dean put his one foot on the dash as I drove through the figure, there was a flash of cold and an awful scream as he disappeared. I turned onto the main road, fishtailing and sighed with relief, all three kids sat up and looked around nervously. I let the speedometer drop closer to the speed limit, "You guys hungry?"

* * *

They pulled the cars into Patti-O's Bar and Grill. It was a hole in the wall, tiny, but the smell wafting out was heavenly. The entire group got out of the cars, Jen held her shoulder, standing there for a moment, assessing on how best to deal with the present situation. Dean grabbed her under her good arm and pulled her to the trunk of he Impala. He whispered into her ear, "This is gonna sound kinda dirty, but you need to lean over the car."

"C'mon Dean!"

"Give me some credit, I could have not prefaced it and just said bend over." Dean smirked as Jen glanced up at him and chuckled back, leaning over the trunk. Dean placed one hand between her shoulder blades and the right on her shoulder, "On three?"

"Yeah…" She nodded, "Just do it."

"Alright...One…" He pushed forward with the left and snapped back with the right. There was a huge crack and a pop.

"Arg!" Jen groaned, "Son of a bitch...When you say on three that usually means two."

Dean smiled, "I know...But you would have tensed up. I gotcha."

Jen rolled her shoulder, windmilling her arm, wincing, but it felt better. Dean wrapped his arms around her hips, pushing her back against the car. He kissed her quickly and popped the trunk and rummaged through her bags, finding a faded blue and white plaid button down and tossing it to her, "You might want to ditch the bloody, torn shirt. The general public doesn't find that as hot as I do."

Jen slid the shirt on, "C'mon everyone, let's get some chow."

They walked up the front steps, the waitress looked them all up and down, "How many?"

Jen turned, counting "Eight."

"You can either wait until someone leaves, or we have tables outside."

Jen smiled politely, "Outside is fine."

They followed the waitress out the back door to the porch. They slide a couple of tables together and sat down. "What can I get you guys to drink?"

Jen held up three fingers, "Three beers for sure for us, and then whatever they want."

They proceeded to go around the table and tell the waitress what they wanted. When it came to Melissa she said, "I'll have a beer too."

Jen looked right across the table at her, "The hell you will. The only beer your ass gets is a root beer."

The waitress walked away, leaving them to the menus. When she returned most of the kids ordered burgers, Jen got a spicy southwest burger, Dean a double bacon, and Sam, of course got some sort of salad. As Jen and the boys dug into the food without hesitation, the other five just stared, still confused about what had gone down at the park. Finally Mags spoke, "So are we gonna talk about what the hell happened or are we just gonna ignore it and hope it goes away?"

Jen and Dean exchanged a glance and she sat back, crossing her arms and putting the heels of her boots on the arm of Dean's chair, "What do you want to know?"

Mags scoffed, "Well for starters, what the hell were they?"

The corners of Jen's mouth twitched, "Those were ghosts, more specifically I would go with vengeful spirit. But that's if you want to get technical."

Skylar nodded slowly, "That would make sense, I guess."

Mags turned on her, voice raising, "That would make sense? That would make sense! None of this shit makes any sense."

Jen grabbed her sister's arm, "We are in public, cool it a notch."

Mags sat back stiffly. Reed looked between all of them, "Ghosts aren't real. They are just meant to scare people, movies and stuff like that."

Sam set down his fork, "They are very real, as real as you and me."

Brady scoffed, rolling his eyes "Yeah, right. And you guys are some sort of Ghost-Busters."

Dean swallowed the final bite of his burger, "Something like that. We are hunters. Sammy and I here have been doing this all our lives…"

Jen cut in, looking at Maggie, "I've been doing it since we got chased through that cornfield. Those were demons though."

Mags cast her eyes down, trying to forget that night. She had only been ten when she saw her sister shoot two guys and they still came after them. She had always told herself she had been seeing things, that Jen had missed. But in all honesty, Jen never missed with her 870.

It was Brady's skeptic voice that cut through her thoughts, "Demons? Ghosts? That crap just doesn't exist. And even if those are real, what are you gonna tell us next? Vampires are real?"

Jen reached for her fries, sopping up some ketchup, "Oh, vampires exist, you gotta chop of the heads though. So do werewolves, shape shifters, hellhounds, wraiths, gods...pretty much anything you can think of, it is out there somewhere."

Skylar leaned forward, trying to process what her sister had rattled off like a grocery list, "Hold up...you are telling me that God exists?"

Jen laughed, "That's way above our pay grade, we are just the grunts. 'gods', plural with a lowercase 'g'. The other one is up to you and what you think."

Reed watched with a blank stare, "How are you guys so calm about this?"

Sam smiled, "We do this all the time."

Melissa scooted closer to Sam, leaning over the table, "That's so… brave."

Mags stared at Jen, "Is that why you left? You left to us to gallivant around the country with the Chip'n Dale brothers in a car that is so prehistoric it pre-dates the moon landing?"

Sam coughed and Dean sat up at the insult of his car, "Hold up, you do not talk about Baby like…"

Jen cut him off, "I left because you two were in danger as long as I was there. I didn't hook up with these guys until last fall, I was hunting alone. I was trying to help people."

Mags shook her head and looked down at her plate, mumbling under her breath, "Damn right there is hooking up going on."

"Excuse me?" Jen snapped and sat forward. Mags looked back up innocently, "Nothin'."

"That's damn right nothing." Jen said, taking a swig from her beer, grabbing some fries from Dean's plate, he raised his eyebrows, "Would you like some fries?"

"I think I'm good." she shoved them in her mouth and winked. He just shook his head and kept eating. All the kids were finishing up what food they could. The waitress came back to the destruction, "Any dessert tonight?"

Dean looked up hopefully, "Do you guys have pie?"

"I'm sorry sir, we ran out about half hour ago."

His face fell, "Nothin for me then."

No one else ordered anything, the waitress went back in to grab the bill. Melissa scooted even closer to Sam, putting her hand on his knee, she spoke under her breath, "You don't need any sugar anyways, your ass is already pretty sweet."

Sam removed her hand awkwardly and scooted away. He glanced around to see if anyone had heard her. Jen and Dean were both smirking, trying not to laugh. Luckily for Sam the bill came out before they could tease him relentlessly. Jen threw some cash on the table and they headed back for the motel.

* * *

**Skylar's POV:**

Later that night, after being personally escorted by Jen and the boys back to the room with warnings of 'your asses will be kicked if you leave so help me' I find myself not able to sleep as easily as Mags. After hearing all those creatures are real...well its not easy to cast off nightmares as dreams anymore.

I sigh and sink into the bed. Melissa, the night owl, had snuck out of the room to get ice and snacks, though I have a feeling it was to do more than that. I roll over to smother my face in the pillow.

'So their hunters. They kill things that shouldn't be real.' It keeps running through my head. I sit up and chuck the pillow at the wall. Not getting sleep tonight it seems. I hear the key slide into the door and look over as Melissa comes in with candy, chips, and ice. She gives a small smile to me, but keeps quiet as she sits on the edge of the bed, setting the stuff down on the nightstand.

"Pretty crazy shit, huh" she says, offering a Kit-Kat to me. I nod silently and open the chocolate wafer bar. She looks thoughtful for a second, the sighs. "It'd be interesting to be a hunter, huh?"

I shove her. "Not if you're just in it for ass"

She chokes back a laugh. "But that ass is too hot"

I facepalm. "You're nuts."

"Maybe I am. Not quite as nutty as you though"

"How am I nutty?" I retort, taking a bite of candy.

"Seeing ghosts an-"

"Yeah well you saw it too and proceeded to scream like a little bitch"

She pouts a bit. "Well...well...what the fuck am I supposed to do seeing one for the first time?"

"Not scream like a little bitch"

She sighs, exasperated. That's when I hear a moan. We stare at each other, then look at Mags. No, she's sleeping. We both go silent and listen, Jen's voice rings through the wall, "Dean! Get off."

Melissa stares at me open mouthed, then jumps off the bed and leans against the wall, ear pressed flat to it. Dean's voice comes through the wall, "Why? Don't you like me on top?"

Melissa beckons me over, hand clamped over her mouth. I shake my head hard and cover my ears. But it didn't stop me from hearing Jen's protest, "Dean, you're too damn big."

"For fucks sake" I hiss. I can see Melissa eagerly pressing against the wall. I stare at the wall and slowly uncover my ears, getting a brilliant idea. I pick up my phone and head to the wall, only to see Melissa already has one pulled out and recording.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop...Stop-it!" It was followed by a few thumps and stifled giggles.

After about ten minutes of indiscernible noise we pull away from the wall. Melissa smirks at me, shutting the recording off. I roll my eyes and crawl back into bed Melissa sitting cross legged beside me to watch the TV on low. I close my eyes and attempt to get the crude images out of my head before falling asleep.


	21. With a Little Help From My Friends

**A/N: Hi all! Sorry it took me so long to post, school has been crazy busy and it still is. On that same note, I am going into finals and summer break, so I will try to post over the summer, but instead of weekly I'm aiming for once or twice a month to post. We will see what happens! Also, I am trying to revise previous chapters and write some big points in future ones so it is taking me way longer than I would like it to. Just be patient. **

**Thank you again for reading.**

When they arrived back at the hotel, Jen had escorted all of the kids to their rooms. Her final words to them were, "If you leave this hotel you will receive the ass beating of your life. Then after you think it is over, I will beat your ass again."

She returned to her room with the boys, Sam had hacked into the police department's server and was printing files on all the missing cases. Dean had grabbed pamphlets from the lobby of the hotel about King's Mountain and the surrounding area, trying to find some sort of lead. Jen grabbed half of the stack of papers that had been printing and sat by the table with her feet crossed on it, marking notes in the margins. A few hours into research Sam got up, "Either of you want anything?"

Jen winked at Dean, "You're not getting any candy are you?"

Dean caught on, "Yeah, you don't need that extra sugar."

"Wouldn't want you to be too sweet." Jen started to giggle.

Sam bitch-faced them both, "C'mon guys."

Dean sniggered, putting his hands up, "Just sayin', hittin that means you'll be someone's prison bitch. Just lookin' out for my little bro."

Sam exhaled aggressively and stalked out with the ice bucket. He ignored the sound of another door closing and put the ice bucket beneath the machine, the crunching drowning out all other noise. Jumping as a voice started behind him, "Are you a cornfield?"

Sam whipped around to see Melissa looking at him from the vending machine. Sam stumbled on his words, "Ah...Ah...no, why are you asking me this?"

She giggled and cracked up, "Cause I'm stalking you."

"Oh...ah...good one. Ha-ha." Sam turned and walked as quickly as he could down the hall, hearing her footsteps behind him, "You and your brother are so...so incredible. How do you face down those monsters?"

"Ah..we just do." Sam came to his door and swiped the card, it took two times for it to work and he ran into the room, slamming the door behind him, leaning against it. He breathed heavily.

Jen's voice broke his panic, "What's the matter Sam? Can't shake your new girlfriend?"

He looked over to where she was laying on a bed, on her stomach. She was watching, grinning, waiting for an answer. Sam shook his head, "Just shut-up."

Dean laughed and Jen smiled and went back to the stack of papers in front of her. Looking through the victim reports, there was no discernible patterns. Age, sex, race where all over the map, she sighed tossing the papers down and pulling a folder of officer profiles that she had printed from beside the bed. There couldn't possibly be that many British officers that were killed, she thought that maybe she could pinpoint him.

"Hey guys?...A lot of these victim reports are from the last fifty years. I bet there are more from before then."

Sam nodded, " I was thinkin' kind of the same thing. I bet they have them on paper down in the county office…" He glanced at the clock, it was a little after midnight, "Which we can't get until they open at eight tomorrow morning."

Jen sighed, "What about a little B and E?"

Sam shrugged, and gets up, grabbing the keys, "I got nothing better to do."

"You want any help?" She asked.

"Nah, you guys keep lookin' through what you have. I got this one." Sam walked out, closing the door behind him. Meanwhile, Dean finished going through his pamphlets and was becoming bored, and well, bored people love to cause trouble. He got up, walked over to the bed, sat and then rolled on top of her, his back to hers. She attempted to ignore him at first, so he stretched, "Ah, this is comfortable."

Jen tried to move, "Dean! Get off."

She started laughing and he sprawled, leaning his head back against hers, "Why? Don't you like me on top?"

Jen normally wouldn't have cared, but he was heavy, making it impossible for her to prop herself up and read the papers in front of her, "Dean, you're too damn big."

Dean chuckled, and leaned back further, turning his face into her hair, pressing his lips into her neck.

"Stop." She warned quietly. He finally rolled off of her and laid mirroring her position and continued to mess with her, turning his face to where her shoulder and neck met. She giggled, leaning away, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop...Stop-it!"

Jen leaned further away, close to the edge. Dean gave her a nudge and she fell of the bed with a thump. She glared up at him, but couldn't keep herself from laughing at his playful expression. He offered a hand which she grabbed and hauled her up. Dean sat back, up at the top of the bed and pulled her with him. Jen laid back with her head resting on the crook of his shoulder, grabbing papers and still going through them. Dean watched her read quickly, playing with her hair as she made notes, marked important things. She bit her lip as she thought, trying to find a pattern, any pattern. Dean eventually nodded off.

* * *

I laid next to Dean for hours, trying to connect the dots. Or well, seeing if there were any dots to connect. Ok, well if the victims didn't have any connections now, maybe they had a connection in the past? I was pretty sure I had figured out who the redcoat had been, and I was like fifty-percent sure on the plain dressed ghost, but I couldn't find a painting to match him, I was going on instinct. I reached over to the nightstand, trying not to stir Dean, and grabbed my phone. I flipped it open, dialing Sam,

_"Jen, what's going on?"_

"Nothing. Are you still at the county office?"

_"Yeah, I was just finishing up."_

"Could you check something out for me? They have birth certificates and stuff right?"

_"They do, why?"_

"You wanna check and see where some of the local victims' lineage traces back to? I'm thinking if there is no connection now, maybe there was one in the past."

_"Like related?"_

"Maybe...I was thinking more maybe affiliation? Just let me know what you find."

_"Sure."_

"Thanks Sam." I hung up the phone and tossed it to the side, leaning back onto Dean's arm. My work was done until Sam got back, which probably wouldn't be until right before sunup. I nuzzled into Dean's side, putting my arm over his chest, wrapping my leg around his, and pressing my lips lightly against him before closing my eyes and dozing off.

* * *

The slam of the door jarred me awake. I looked around sleepily, rubbing my eyes. Sam was bustling around the room, slamming papers down on the table, "I don't know how you freaking did it Jen, but you figured it out."

I sat up all the way, Dean was looking around, confused, still waking up. "What do you mean Sam?"

Sam turned to me, "How'd you know?"

I shook my head, "You gotta help me out...what?"

"At least half of the victims' families trace back to patriots."

Dean was still coming out of it, "New England? I hate that son of a bitch Brady."

I patted him, "Go get a cup of coffee before you hurt yourself."

Sam started the coffee pot as Dean got up, stretching, "So how did you know?"

I shuffled through some papers that I had thrown on the nightstand, finding the print of the painting I was looking for. I got up and toss it down on the table, "This was that red coat before he got turned into swiss cheese. His name was Patrick Ferguson. He was the commander of the Loyalist Militia. He was killed in battle at King's Mountain in 1780."

Dean came up beside me and handed me a cup of black coffee, "So? A lot of guys die in battle, what makes Lucky Charms here our guy."

I took a sip, "Well it turns out Ferguson here was a real hard ass. Totally brutal. Not only was he a tyrant with his own men, he would kill patriots on sight. Absolutely no surrender. Then, he was surrounded at King's Mountain because he thought he had the tactical advantage. But as it turns out the Patriots out thought him and got him surrounded."

Dean sat down across from me, sifting through the papers, "Alright there Indiana Jones, how did he go from hard ass to vengeful spirit?"

"I'm getting there. Let me be a nerd for a few moments...Anyways, he was shot off his horse at King's Mountain, fell down the hill to the rebels."

Sam nodded, sitting down onto another chair, "So, hence, the vengeful spirit."

Dean nodded, "Well that's fantastic...but what about spook number two?"

I smiled, pulling out another sheet of paper, "This is where it gets good. See, Ferguson was shot off his horse. He wasn't killed."

Dean cut me off, "Well, his ghost running around would beg to differ."

I shot him a look, "Keep your mouth shut for a moment and let me finish..So, Ferguson rolls down the hill into enemy lines, and they decide they will offer him the chance for an unconditional surrender. They send a young rebel over to offer it and Ferguson pulls out his flintlock, and shoots him straight in the face. Boom, the rebels open fire on him, making him a cheese grater. Later they refuse to return his body to the Brits and bury him on sight."

I sit back putting my feet up on the table, proud of myself. Dean nods, looking over my work, "And let me guess...you know where he is buried."

"Down to the foot. Problem is it is an actual national landmark."

"Not to rain on your parade, but who is the second guy?"

I ran my tongue over my teeth, "My best guess, with the way his head was canoed out, the guy that Ferguson shot. He would have more reason than any to be a vengeful spirit."

Dean got up to get another cup of coffee, grabbing my empty one, "So what's the theory?"

"Well with what Sam found, I would say Ferguson is attacking people who are descendants of rebel soldiers or sympathizers."

"So what about the rest?"

I shrugged, "Well the other guy could only show up when triggered. Probably by Ferguson. I'm guessing since the rest aren't connected, he works just like a ghost haunts a house. Except in this case, he is haunting a forest."

Dean slid my cup of coffee back in front of me, "So we know where one is buried, what about the other?"

I shrugged, "He had an unmarked grave, they aren't even sure who he was."

"Great." Dean sighed. Sam ran his hand through his hair, looking through pages on his laptop, "So how we gonna do this?"

I played with the cup, rubbing my face, "Keep the tweens on lock-down then try to take care of this tonight-ish."

Sam shook his head, "Tonight is no good. There is a commemorative celebration, there are gonna be people crawling all over the place."

I rolled my eyes, "Fuck. That's fantastic...the ghosts aren't gonna stop being there because its party night."

Dean shrugged, "We are probably going to have to keep an eye on it...Though walking around with shotguns might equal some jail time."

I exhaled, "Well at the least we know who they are...What are we going to do the rest of the day?"

Dean raised his eyebrows, winking at me, "Well I don't know what we are going to do, but Sammy here is gonna hang out with his new girlfriend."

Sam slammed the laptop closed, "Shut-up Dean."

I smirked, chanting, "Sam and Melissa sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First…"

"Shut-the-hell-up!" Sam shoved his seat back and walked towards the door.

Dean smiled, kicking his feet up onto the table, "Going to see your girl-friend?"

Sam yelled over his shoulder as he stomped out, "I'm going to find out more about this celebration and then hit the library and see if I can find out who that second ghost is...Don't you two work too hard."

I yelled after him, "Its not even six, the library doesn't open for another two hours."

Dean and me glanced at each other and broke out laughing. After a moment Dean crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it at my face, "What do you wanna do Jen? I'm guessing no one else gets up before noon and we don't have to work before tonight because all the research is done."

I bit my lip for a moment, thinking. He was right, there was no way in hell anyone was getting up for another few hours. For once, we actually had a few guaranteed hours by ourselves. Weird. I glanced quickly over at him and caught him watching me with a smirk. At first I was nervous, but then I told myself, _screw it,_ I'm sick of there always being some excuse. I got up and slowly walked over to him, Dean watching me the whole way. Putting my hands on his shoulders, I leaned down, my nose touching his. Dean's eyes searched mine, I closed the final distance and pressed my lips against his, hard, and he pushed back. I felt his hands on the back of my thighs pulling me forward onto his lap. Straddling him, I sat forward, moving my hands to Dean's head, threading my fingers through his hair. His hands pulled my body flush against his. I couldn't think anymore, not past his lips against mine and hands moving up my back and sides. I pulled away, gasping for breath. Leaning back and reaching down, I started to undo the buttons on his shirt, "This is what you meant when we had time to kill right?"

Dean chuckled, grabbing the hem of my t-shirt, "Um...hell yeah."

He drug it over my head, then pulled me closer, kissing me again. Lips moving urgently against mine, as I pushed his shirt back. His hands traveled down my stomach to the top of my jeans, I could feel the bulge in his pants growing. Dean's lips moved to my neck, moving slowly down to my shoulder, where he rested his forehead for a moment. As he began to push my jeans down there was a knock at the door, "Jen? Are you there?"

It was Mags, Dean leaned his head back, sighing. I yelled over my shoulder, "Yeah!... Hold on a sec. I'm coming."

Dean grabbed my chin, talking under his breath, "Well if she would have given us at least another ten to fifteen minutes you would have for sure." I smacked him lightly on the chest, shaking my head.

"Every god-damn time, I swear." I mumbled and leaned my forehead against Dean's, closing my eyes. I kissed him again quickly, then pushed myself up. Dean pulled me back to his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my chest, mumbling indiscernible profanity. I pressed my lips against the top of his head for a moment. This time he let me get up and I ran to the door, pulling my clothes back on. I turned the knob on the door, Mags walked right in. I stood in place for a moment and then gestured, "Well just come right on in."

"Jen, I thought about it...Oh, hey." She had noticed Dean sitting there. He had one leg, crossed guy style across the other, button down draped across his lap. He waved to her awkwardly, "Hey."

"Mags, what were you thinking about?" Mags looked back at me. "What are you gonna do about this ghost?"

I sat back down in my original chair, "Well I thought I was crazy and ghosts didn't exist?"

She chuckled uncomfortably, "Well I had time to think that over. What are we doing about this ghost, I looked online and there are supposed to be over a thousand people there tonight."

I let out a sarcastic laugh, "We? There is no we. You, Sky and the rest of the Lollipop Guild are staying here. Me, Dean and Sam will take care of this."

"You three can't cover a thousand people." She argued.

"Um...watch us. You are staying here, end of discussion."

Mags shrugged, "Make me."

"Ha...No way in hell are you going within the vicinity of that park."

"Here's the thing Jen, you can either give us the low down and the tools to help, or we go in blind."

"Maggie," Dean started, "You and your friends could really get hurt. Leave this to us."

Mags turned on him, "Listen boner boy…" Dean looked at me uncomfortably, shrinking down into his seat, then she continued, "...I can take care of myself. You need our help. So help us to help you."

I ground my teeth together, "We will see...even if you are cut out for this shit, your little friends have no idea what they are getting themselves into."

"We already talked about it this morning."

"What the hell are teenagers doing up before the afternoon?"

She rolled her eyes, "When you get chased through the woods by two revolutionary age ghosts, it gets kinda hard to sleep...I still need to talk to the boys."

I rubbed my face, "You go do that. I will think about letting you go."

She got up to leave, but, "I'm not finished...You will do exactly what I tell you to do and exactly how I tell you to do it."

"Okay, I will be back in a few. Are we gonna go out to lunch?"

I nodded, "Yeah, we can."

Mags left and closed the door behind her. I leaned forward on the table, put my face in my hands, frustrated. Dean spoke, "Well there is no way in hell you two are related."

I didn't look up, "You can take the sarcasm down a notch or two."

His fingers tugged on my wrist, then sliding his hand over mine on the table. I circled my thumb over his knuckles, "Sorry."

He squeezed my hand, "One of these days we won't have either of our siblings barging in on us... I promise."

I scoffed, "Well, I guess eventually the odds have to work in our favor."

"You want some more coffee?"

I nodded. He pushed his chair back, tucked my hair back and leaned down, pressing his lips onto the top of my head. I turned my face upwards, and his palm moved to my cheek, thumb tracing along my skin. I groaned in frustration, wrapping my arms around his waist and putting my forehead against his stomach. Dean ran his hand through my hair, "I know babe. Trust me, I know."

After I downed my next cup of coffee, I had to go for a walk, "Why don't you call and tell Sam to get his ass back here so we can get them some food… And so we can get the hell out of this room."

Dean jumped up, feeling the same need to get out of close quarters, "I'm on it...go round them up."

I went a door over, knocking. Sky answered, "What's up?"

"We are going to go to lunch as soon as Sam gets back with the car…" I stopped talking as I did the head count in the room. There was Sky, there was Melissa, and there was Reed.

"Where are Brady and Mags?" I turned away, stalking to the next door before anyone answered me. Sky's footsteps echoed behind me, "Jen, stay calm."

"I am calm." I turned the handle on the room, the door was unlocked. Fortunately, they were still fully clothed. Unfortunately, they were making out.

"Oh, hell no." Brady jumped halfway across the room at my voice. I snatched him up by the collar of his shirt, holding him against the wall. Mags yelled, "What the hell, Jen? You can't do that."

"Um, yes I can…" I lifted Brady off his feet, "You keep your hands off my sister, and beat it before I pull your intestines out through your throat."

When I dropped him, he scrambled out of the room. I turned to Mags, she was turning red, "Jen! We wer…"

"You weren't what? Making out viciously, on a bed, in a hotel?"

"It wasn't going past that!"

I rolled my eyes, "Sure."

"So what? You get to fuck around a room over from where I'm sleeping?"

I was starting to see black spots, I was so pissed, "Number one, you are fourteen, watch your damn mouth. Number two, I wasn't doing anything and even if I was, I am an adult. You are still my younger, underage sister."

"You can't just show up and tell me what to do!"

"I'm your freaking big sister! Yes I can!"

She mocked me in a breathy voice, "Oh, I'm Jen and I'm sitting up on my high horse. Dean...Oh, Dean get off. Dean you are too big...Oh."

Oh my god. I started laughing, "Are you talking about last night?"

Mags crossed her arms, "Melissa recorded it and showed it to me."

I kept laughing, "I was reading and Dean was bothering me. The guy is two-hundred plus pounds and six foot two. When he lays on top of you it gets kinda hard to breathe."

She stared at me for a second, considering, "So you weren't…"

"Mags. No. Now do you want to go to lunch or not?"

"Sure."

* * *

By noon everyone was sitting around a table on the patio of some dive that they had found. There was a mountain of food in front of them, everyone digging in. Sky was halfway through a burger when she spoke, "So how is this going to go tonight?"

Sam choked on his salad, "What?"

Dean took another bite of his burger, "Yeah, the little rascals are apparently joining us tonight."

Jen ignored them, "Are you all coming?"

There were collective nods around the table. Melissa and Reed hesitated but joined, Jen continued, "Here is the deal...We are gonna all keep in contact, radios. Then since we can't exactly carry around guns, you are each gonna fill your backpacks with salt and a tire iron."

Mags sat forward, "What is that gonna do?"

Sam put his fork down, "The salt acts as a repellent, they will mist out. The shells that we shot into them the other day were rock salt rounds. The iron works the same way but it has to be pure."

Jen talked through her mouthful burger, "If you get in trouble you make a circle of salt and step in it They can't cross in."

"Why?" Sky asked.

Dean shrugged, "Both iron and salt are pure. In most religion impure spirits are warded by pure things, such as salt."

Mags scoffed, "So ghosts are afraid of table condiments?"

Jen shrugged and nodded, "Kinda funny huh?"

Sky's brow furrowed, "So how is this gonna work?"

Dean grabbed fries from Sam's plate, knowing that he wasn't going to touch them, "Well there are eight of us, we will split into groups of two, keep an eye on the civies."

Brady spoke nervously, avoiding eye contact with Jen, "I still don't understand what we are supposed to do."

Jen smirked, "You are gonna walk around and when the ghost shows up, you throw salt at it. We can't burn the body until tomorrow night, so that means our job is to keep everyone alive until then."

Sky nodded, "I looked up some of the details for tonight, it is supposed to be like a get together; food the whole works. Then there are supposed to be a couple of actors guiding tours until a little after dark. Then finally fireworks."

Sam shrugged, "Well we gotta stay until everyone's clear of the place."

* * *

Back at the hotel I had gathered all the kids backpacks. Dean, Sam and I were splitting up bags of salt and placing a tire iron in each bag. I had run out and bought every group a radio, which was charging on the wall.

"Do you actually think this is a good idea?" Sam asked.

I sighed, sealing another bag of salt, "I don't want them to be there but it is going to be awful hard for only the three of us to watch that many people. Plus I would rather keep them where I can get to them quickly...Alright let's go split them up."

I walked down the hall carrying some of the bags, I opened 232, "Alrighty, Sky you are going with Dean, Sam will take Reed, Melissa and Brady. Mags, you're with me. Anything looks out of place, you let the other groups know, don't engage the problem unless you don't have any other choice."

Mags came up to me, grabbing her bag, "Are you serious?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

_**Sky's P.O.V**_

I look around at the crowded place and cringe mentally. I was never one for parties and celebrations and the such, but now I'm here. I mentally shake it off and glance at Dean. I'm really curious to why Jen didn't team up with him. They seem more in sync then any of us. I look away to scan the crowd and attempt to think of a conversation starter so the silence doesn't drag on.

"So..um...how long have you been with my sister?"

He chuckled uncomfortably, "Umm… Me and Sam met her on a hunt last fall."

I stare at him a bit. "That's not exactly what I meant..."

Dean looks off into the crowd, looking for something that I couldn't see, "That's what I figured, and the answer to that would depend on your definition of 'been with'...Come on."

I follow after him, going quiet as I thought this through. "Since you first kissed her. Or vice versa." I finally say, figuring this probably isn't the type of relationship where you ask to go on a proper date.

He gave a small smile, "Well then a few days after I met her...Then there was a lot of awkward."

I chuckle. "I could imagine..."

"Well...let's change the subject. Even though she is pretty chill about most shit, I'm not exactly sure how much your sister would want me to share. Or for that matter what I am comfortable sharing with her little sister."

I think a bit over it, then decide to let it drop. I glance over at him. Well, this just got a whole lot harder to talk, "So what exactly are we looking for? I know ghosts but...like are there any signs or something?"

"We are looking for people, Sky. People are important."

"Still confused here."

Dean looked down at me and smirked, "You see...ghosts follow certain patterns. Like these ones, we know they come out at night. So we don't exactly need to be watching for them during the day. We need to be watching for the people that the ghost would pick to attack...You wanna beer or something?"

I roll my eyes slightly. "Underage and Jen would kill you even if so."

"She has no room to talk, and what she doesn't know won't hurt her." Dean winked.

I laughed slightly, but still shook my head no. "You go ahead. I'd rather have my wits about me"

"Don't mind if I do." He grabbed a beer from a nearby table.

I scanned around the crowd, taking in all of the people. I thought I spotted Jen and Mags but they disappeared in a blink.

* * *

Jen had taken off with a pissed Mags into the crowd. Jen stood there arms crossed, scanning.

"What the hell Jen?"

"What the hell, what?" Jen asked dryly without looking at her.

"Why am I here with you?"

Jen met her sister's eyes, "Look over my shoulder at the man in the green plaid. Do you see him?"

Mags nodded and Jen kept going, "He is gonna pick-pocket that man holding the blonde kid in three, two, one.."

As she finished the countdown, sure enough it happened. Mags was impressed, "How did you know that was going to happen?"

Jen lifted up her aviator sunglasses, looking Mags in the eyes, "I spent the last four years learning how to read people. See, people don't know they know it, but their instincts know when they are near a monster, something that doesn't belong. And monsters are good, but when they imitate humans, their actions are a little off."

"Cool party trick, but that wasn't what I asked."

Jen sighed, "People notice stuff, even if they don't know they notice. Me and you, separate, would be noticeable. Sam and Reed could be brothers. Blending in is important to anonymity. Plus, this split up gives us the best chance of actually keeping these things from hurting anyone and any of us from getting hurt. Plus you are exactly like me, you will run off on your own, doing something incredibly stupid."

Mags nodded, acknowledging the truth of Jen's assessment, and started strolling next to her big sister, "So what are we looking for?"

"Well the spook could, but would unlikely turn up in the middle of the crowd, during the daylight. So our best bet would be after dark, the stragglers. Which would be…"

"Teenagers, and couples."

Jen nodded, "Yep...so our job is to sniff out the potentials before sundown and keep an eye on them...Smile, Mags. We are supposed to be having fun. If you exude panic, they will feel panic."

Mags tried to fake a smile but watched her sister glance around quickly, wondering what she was seeing. Jen pulled two beers from a nearby table and handed one to Mags who sipped on it. The cold liquid helped to combat the heavy humidity in the air. As darkness began to loom on the horizon Jen had strategically wandered toward Dean and Sky. They spoke without ever acknowledging each other, never drawing attention to themselves.

"What do you think?" Dean asked.

Jen shrugged, "There are a few teens that may try to break off when the fireworks start but it seems like everyone should, for the most part, stick together."

Dean nodded, "I'll radio the other groups, keep them with the crowd, in the back."

Jen's eyes scanned the crowd and then his face, "All of us on the outskirts?"

Dean exhaled, "Probably be best."

They parted in opposite directions. Jen pulled out her radio and hooked an earbud into it, keeping it down in her jacket pocket. She flipped it on, "Alright everyone, keep calm and just watch. Let me, Sam, or Dean know if you see anything."

Voices rang over the earbud in response. Jen lead Mags to the woodline, they each leaned up against a tree. Meanwhile Sam and Reed had found a seat near the back. Brady and Melissa were about halfway up through the people, their attention drawn to a kid pleading with his mother,

"But I saw him mommy."

"Sure you did sweetie, now sit down and watch…"

"But he was hurt, he was all bloody."

"And where is he now?"

"He...he disappeared."

"I have had enough of you and your wild imagination, now sit down with your sister and watch the fireworks."

Brady whipped around to Melissa, "What do you think?"

She shrugged, "Let's go check it out?"

"No, we should call Jen or Dean."

Melissa got up and started walking to where the boy had been pointing, Brady hissed at her, "Melissa! Get back here."

She kept going. Brady squirmed in his seat for a moment and then took off after her, turning on his radio. Melissa turned, snatching it off of him, "Don't bother them, we got this."

"But…"

"I'm telling you that we have this." Melissa insisted, and kept going into the woods. The fireworks cast colorful shadows in the woods, making them even more confusing and creepy. Over the cracks of the fireworks the wind blew through the leaves. Branches cracked, snapping in unexpected directions. "Melissa, we need to go back."

* * *

I stood in the woodline watching the people watch the finale fireworks in awe. "Mags."

I pointed to a couple of people sneaking off, it was a few boys; probably trying to smoke something, drink something or vandalize something. She nodded and I stood upright, walked after them, trailed by her. Picking up the pace to a jog, I tried to keep them in my sight. I turned around another oak tree and Dean popped out of nowhere with Sky, "You following the pot smokers?"

I nodded, "Have you seen the others lately?"

He shook his head, "I saw Sam probably a half hour ago...Brady and Melissa are MIA."

"Shit." I glanced and could see that group of boys flicking a lighter. Mags grabbed my arm, "What about Brady and Melissa?"

I shrugged, tossing her my radio, "Try and get ahold of..."

A shriek behind us cut me off. I whipped around, listening again. The crowds were trickling off in the distance, their voices a low rumble. And again there was a scream, I didn't take any time to bark orders, I just ran. Mags fell into stride with me and I could hear the other two's steps right on our heels. I slid to a stop, trying to find my bearings. Another scream ripped through the woods, this time a male's. We took off again, I was trying to pull the tire iron out of my bag. I reached the top of the hill, the screaming was coming from a hollow at the bottom. I ran over the edge, sliding down the dirt on my ass, racing for the end. There was a snap and Sky lost her balance, rolling the rest of the way down. At the bottom I pulled her up to her feet and squatted, scanning the forest before me.

"Help!" It was Melissa's voice calling. Shit. I sprinted past the next few trees, then I tripped, falling over a person. Melissa was lying there in the fetal position. I snatched her up by her shirt, "Where is Brady?"

She whipped her head back and forth, searching, "The...the...gho…"

I hauled her upright, "Dean! Get her out of here."

I kept moving further into the woods, drag and struggle marks in the dirt. There was another scream.

"Brady!" Mags yelled.

"Maggie!" His voice was fading in the distance. Mags took off in front of me, I tried to grab her but she slipped past. Shit. I kept moving forward, staying low, trying to stay quiet. Fingers wrapped around my upper arm, I spun, tire iron swinging. Dean ducked and deflected my wrist, the tire iron sunk into the tree, sticking there, "Jesus, Jen...take it easy."

"Where's Melissa? Sky?"

"Sam and Reed showed up. He is taking them back to the hotel...Mags?"

"She took off. I think the spook has Brady. Shit, Dean, we gotta find her fast."

"I know. Where would Ferguson take them?"

"Don't know." I started moving through the trees again, it was getting harder to see the marks in the dirt. Limbs and sticks were freshly snapped, the moisture in the air getting thicker, heavier, until the sky let loose and the rain poured down.

"Mags!" I yelled, unable to see more than a few feet in front of me. Dean pulled a flashlight out and flicked it on, scanning the forest, light reflecting off the rain. I tried again, "Mags!"

There was no answer, no noise other than the rain on the foliage. Dean shoved another flashlight into my hand and we moved forward, searching.

"Jen!" Mags' voice rang through the trees.

"Mags!" I yelled back, trying to find the source.

"Jen! Help" I moved to where it came from, cautious. Entering a large ravine, Mags was standing at the source, brandishing her tire iron. She was facing away, up the ridge. There was Ferguson, dragging Brady behind him, ascending the hill. Brady's body flopped, he was unconscious at the least, dead at the worst. Mags tried to take off again, jumping forward. I moved fast enough to grab her around the shoulders, holding her back,

"No!", I commanded.

"No...Brady!" She yelled, willing him to answer her. She struggled against me, Dean pulled the tire iron out of her hands. He shook her shoulders, "Mags, you need to stay here and let me and Jen handle this...Mags!"

She finely focused. I glanced up and saw Ferguson still making his way upward, the trees snapping, the wind whipping. I grabbed the iron off Dean, running up, climbing the mossy rocks, my feet slipping on the wet ground. I tried to use a rock as a handhold but it let loose, revealing a human skull. Uck. At the top of the hill Ferguson held Brady upright, I was only halfway up. He unsheathed the sword, stabbing it through Brady's shoulder.

"Brady!" Mags' voice rang up the hill. I threw the iron upwards, it passed through him forcing him to dissipate. Brady began to fall down the cliffside, down into the ravine. Repeating Ferguson's death, his body tumbling towards us. This was gonna hurt like a bitch. I braced as his body smacked into mine, I tried to claw into the dirt, but the impact made me fall backwards. After a tumble or two we smacked into Dean and the combined force knocked us all the rest of the way down the hill. We stopped in a pile at the bottom. Dean groaned, "Everyone okay?"

I coughed, stretching, "Yeah."

Mags was pulling us all apart, trying to make sure we were all alive. She pulled me into a sitting position, "Jen?"

"I'm fine...make sure your boyfriend has a pulse." She paused for a second, I smacked her lightly on the shoulder, "Mags, I'm fine...Go."

She spun on her heels and looked over Brady. Dean reached over and grabbed my shoulder, scanning me. I looked him over real quick, I scoffed, "The fall didn't improve your looks."

He chuckled, "It didn't improve your sense of humor either."

I reached out a hand, Dean grabbed it and we hauled each other to our feet. I brushed myself off, yelling over the pounding rain, "You don't by chance think that took care of the bastard do you?"

Dean shook his head, " We don't have that kind of luck...How's the kid?"

He was groaning in pain, Mags pulled him upward, "Suck it up Sally… Jen give me a hand."

"Put him down for a second." I pulled his shirt back, looking at the wound. It went through his side, it was far enough to the outside that there was no chance of organ damage. But the rain was causing the mud to mix with the blood. I tore a piece of his shirt off and Dean pulled him into a sitting position. I wrapped it around, pulling it tight, applying the pressure.

"Alright. That should hold until we get him back. Mags, grab mine and Dean's bag, get the salt out. There should be at least one ire iron left…"

Dean cut me off, "There is a shotgun in mine, pull it out...What?"

I shook my head, smiling at him, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Grabbing Brady's arm, I pulled him upright, Dean grabbed him under the other arm and we started making our way through the woods. Mags had the shotgun out and a flashlight with the bags slung over her shoulder. The rain made it slow going. Brady kept groaning in pain, barely conscious. Dean talked over him, "So what? Ferguson nabs them and stabs them? Why didn't he kill him?"

I kept searching ahead, "Remember he fell down the hill after he was injured, wasn't killed until later. I think it might be a loop."

Mags flashed the light in my face quickly, "Speak English for the paranormally challenged."

I scoffed as we kept trudging forward, "Their victims are reliving the death cycle. I don't think Ferguson is finishing them off."

She turned again confused, "He just stuck Brady with a sword!"

Dean readjusted Brady's weight, "The bodies are gone, they disappear."

"We already know Ferguson was buried. I don't think he is pissed because he is dead.. He is pissed because he was never given back. What if the no name is pissed because he was never found? What if he is the reason the bodies are nev..." My breath fogged in front of me, there was a chill up my spine. I glanced over at Dean and he rolled his eyes, this was just great. Mags was searching wildly, "What's going on?"

Dean started moving forward again, the rain began to slow, "Keep your eyes open, keep moving."

* * *

Mags kept scanning the woods and when the unknown ghost appeared next to her, she screeched.

"Mags! The gun." Jen yelled, Mags pulled it around, unloading a round into the ghost's face. They were almost back to where everyone had been seated for the fireworks. Dean spoke, "How are we gonna get rid of him?"

Jen tried to think, but Brady was ripped backwards, knocking her and Dean off their feet. The wind rushed out of Jen's lungs, she coughed, getting to her knees. The ghost had Brady pinned down and she did the only thing she could do, tackled it. As they hit the ground and rolled, it dissipated. Dean grabbed the bag off of Mags and pulled out the salt, making a circle around Brady,

"Mags, get in the circle.", He ordered and she jumped inside. Dean tossed Jen a bag, she protested, "That's only gonna hold him off for so long. The rain is going to wash away the salt."

"Yeah, I know but we need to figure something out fast. This buys us some time."

Jen sighed, "Any ideas?"

He shook his head, "No one knows where he is buried?"

"No...Even if we had an idea I don't think it would matter."

Dean gave her a skeptical look, Jen continued, "I pulled out a skull on the hill, only a skull. He was probably scattered."

"Mother fucker!" Dean tried to think. All they had was the salt and ten or so rounds left. The wind began to whip through the trees again, blowing leaves and branches around them. Jen turned to her sister, "You stay in there, do not leave. Shoot anything that isn't us."

Mags nodded nervously. Jen turned in a slow circle, waiting for the inevitable. The ghost flashed by Dean, the half of his head that was left, tilted.

"Behind you." Jen stated calmly, Dean swung, tossing some of the salt. It disappeared. Twigs snapping through the forest made them all turn. Sam was jogging with a heavy duffel bag slung over his back. Jen began to panic, losing her composure, "What the hell are you doing here? Where are the kids?"

Sam breathed heavily, "They are fine, I left them in the park bathrooms with salt lines. Figured when you guys didn't show up you could use a hand."

Dean slapped his brother on the shoulder, "Well I got one for you Sammy. How do you kill a ghost that is buried all over the forest?"

Sam set his bag on the ground, "When I was taking them to the car I was thinking about the patterns and I thought that maybe Ferguson isn't the one killing them, at least not finishing him off. and I thought about what Jen had said about him being an unknown off…"

"We already figured that much out Sam!" Jen cut him off, "We need a plan."

"I was getting to that." Out of the bags he pulled out some iron chains, "What if we bury these and trap him inside the circle."

Dean gave him a quizzical look, "Sammy you are definitely the brains of this operation."

Jen was still skeptical, "Will that actually work?"

Sam shrugged, "If a ghost can't cross into a circle they shouldn't be able to cross out...Just how do we get him in?"

Jen thought for a moment and then looked over at Brady and Mags. Mags saw her and shook her head, "No Jen."

"Mags it is the only way."

Sam and Dean saw what she was thinking. Mags continued to shake her head. Jen turned and walked to her, "I'm not going to let anything happen to him. I swear."

Dean nodded, "We know what we are doing...well... most of the time."

Sam pulled a couple of small shovels out of the bag and tossed one to Jen. They began digging a circle deeper in the woods, away from where Brady and Mags were. They dug about a foot down and laid the chains into the bottom, leaving about three feet of it open, the chains laying forward. They placed the dirt back over the chain already in the bottom. While they did this, Dean told Mags what she and Brady must do. She nodded, never saying a word in response. Jen arrived back, Dean acknowledged her, "All ready?"

Jen nodded, "Yep. Mags do you know what you are doing?"

Mas exhaled and nodded, staring at her big sister, "God hates a coward, right Jen?"

Jen and Dean shared a look and she half smiled, "God hates a coward. Alrighty then...Let's get this show on the road."

She reached her boot out and rubbed the salt line away. The second the ring was broken, the cold wind whipped through the trees again.

"Fuck. This is a bad idea." Jen mumbled as she grabbed Brady under the arm, Mags grabbing under the other. Dean trailed them, holding the shotgun. Branches began to fall through the canopy, the water from the leaves flew horizontally. They traversed the two hundred or so yards between them a the trap as well as they could. The soldier flashed into their path and Dean blasted him, he disappeared momentarily. But then Dean flew through the air, skidding across the dirt. Jen almost dropped Brady, but Dean waved her off, "Keep going, I'm fine."

They kept dragging Brady, who was just regaining consciousness, the rest of the way. They set him inside the gates of the trap and waited. But the forest calmed as they entered the unclosed circle. Nothing moved, nothing stirred. The only noise their heartbeats and breathing. Mags stared ahead, "This shit cannot be good."

Jen chuckled, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

A crunch of leaves brought their attention forward. The outline of the ghost stalked purposely toward them, one step at a time. Time seemed to slow and their breath fogged, some of the plants begin to frost over. Mags muscles bunched, she was ready to move.

"Wait." Jen commanded under her breath, kneeling down, "We have to wait."

The ghost continued to close the distance, one step at a time. Mags watched Jen's cool, set face, then glanced back at the ghost, and back at Jen. The ghost looked down at the small ditch before him, but didn't falter. He got down on his hands and knees crawling towards them, nose to nose with Jen, icy breath moving the straggling hair on her face. She stared into his one eye and then smiled, "Sam!"

Jen kicked back with Mags, pushing themselves out of the circle with Brady. Sam came out behind the trees, sliding and closing the circle, connecting the final links. The ghost turned, screeching, and ran towards Brady. As it reached the freshly turned dirt, he bounced back like he hit glass. Screeching again, he disappeared, reappeared and hit another part of the circle, stalking the inside. Mags stared for a moment and then started laughing, Jen looked at her in disbelief and then joined in the laughter. Dean and Sam just stared until they stopped, and pulled Brady to his feet.

* * *

Jen sat around with her sisters the next day and caught up on activity from the last two years. They played 500 Rummy and Dean joined them for a few quick rounds of Spades. They talked about high school for them. Both Mags and Sky had achieved honor roll and taking AP classes. Sky had taken up cosplaying and anime conventions in her spare time, while Mags had taken up school sports. They had known about Jen being at MIT but had had no idea that she had transferred over to Harvard. Later came the inevitable Mom and Dad questions. It had turned out that they had been worried and still were, but as disappointed as they were in Jen, both Sky and Mags thought that more than anything they just wanted to know that she was alive and okay.

As the darkness came and the sun set, Jen put them in their rooms with a movie for the night. She and the boys returned to the park for the last time, bringing with them shovels, salt, accelerant, and a pack of matches. First they had to remove all the rocks from Fergusons grave. It was tradition as visitors walked through the park to place a rock on the grave. When they were just about through the rocks, all sweating horribly, Dean asked, "Do you really think we need to burn him too? If he isn't killing anyone."

Jen sighed, piercing the ground with the shovel, "Rather be safe than sorry. Plus he is stabbing people."

Dean began shoveling as well, "Guess thats a good point."

As they kept digging, each took a turn. When the hole was over Jen's shoulders, she clambered out and Sam jumped in, digging until his shovel met bone, "Here we are."

He uncovered the rest and then climbed out. Jen spread the salt and kerosene. Sam grabbed the matches, lighting them all and tossing them in. They watched Ferguson burn, Dean sighed, "One more down."

Jen scoffed, "Who knows how many more to go."

After the body burned to nothing, they recovered the dirt over the body, replacing the rocks the best they could. Hoping that the park rangers would be none the wiser. They drove back and entered the motel after two and fell right into bed, exhausted, not even bothering to undress. They fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

* * *

By early the next afternoon, Jen was lifting the last of her sister's suitcases into their cars. Brady, Reed and Melissa were doing a last minute sweep, making sure they didn't forget anything. Jen shut the trunk, "That's it right?"

"Yep." Mags nodded, putting her hands in her pockets.

"Well…" Jen started, "...I would be grateful if your boyfriend would keep that stab wound underwraps. The stitches can come out in a few weeks."

Mags laughed quickly, "Okay. I don't think any of us plan on telling anyone what we have seen over the last few days...So this is what you do, huh?"

Jen shrugged, "Yeah...I guess so."

"I get it now." Mags replied, half smiling. Jen furrowed her brow, and Mags kept going, "You get to save people, help them. I get it."

Jen just smiled and looked down at her feet. She still didn't forgive herself for how she left her sisters, but at the very least, they knew why now. Mags closed the gap and pulled Jen into a hug, she didn't respond at first, but Jen relaxed and embraced her youngest sister. They broke away and Sky came over, carrying her backpack, "Did I miss something?"

Jen didn't say anything, just pulled her into a hug. Eventually she pushed Sky back to arms length, "Well you guys better get outta here before a werewolf starts chasing you around the parking lot or something."

They both laughed awkwardly, not wanting to leave. Sky looked up at Jen, "Can we call you or…?"

Jen chuckled, "Of course you can call. Maybe I will drop by for Thanksgiving or Christmas, give the folks a heart attack."

Dean came up behind her, "Don't go making plans without consulting the man with the car."

Jen turned to him and smiled, "That's why I have my own."

"Oh, well you have to get to Bobby's some how to get it. And I think that does require a car."

Jen smiled, "Oh it does?"

Dean wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her back against him, "I'm pretty sure it does."

Jen giggled as the other three came running out of the building, sporting their last minute items. Melissa looked around for Sam, clearly disappointed that he was no where in sight. Jen and Dean shared a quick glance. After Sam had heard they were leaving, he had said his goodbyes to Sky and Mags and then ran into town to hide from Melissa. Reed jumped right into the car, Brady awkwardly came to stand next to Mags.

Jen smirked, "Hey kid."

He looked up, Jen continued, "I guess you are all right, but take it easy on groping my little sister, okay."

Brady nodded slowly, "Thanks for stitching me up."

Jen waved him off, "Don't' mention it, we deal with this all the time...Alrighty, I guess this is goodbye."

Sky stared at her sister for a moment and then rushed forward, hugging her again. After she let go, she hopped straight into the driver's seat of the car. Mag gave them a two finger salute, "Hey Dean."

"Hmm."

"I guess you're alright but take it easy on groping my big sister."

Dean laughed, waving back, "Will do."

They stood there and watched the car pull out of the parking lot and down the road. After a moment Jen turned back to the hotel, trying not to show how upset she was, "What's the plan backslash where is Sam?"

"Sam ran into town to avoid Melissa, I heard there was another incident this morning...As for the plan, we are staying here for at least another night. Figured the rooms are already rented and we could use a day off."

"Rooms?" Jen turned to him as she slipped the key card into the lock. Dean shrugged, "Sam moved into the room two down that the boys were in…um, he wanted to look for another hunt already and I figured we could watch TV, maybe order in some pizza...umm"

Dean scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, but Jen turned, placing her hands on his chest, "Umm...you want to get laid ."

He shrugged, smirking, "Well...if that is where pizza and TV goes."

Jen shook her head and laughed, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, standing on her tiptoes. He breached the gap, lips meeting hers. When Jen stopped and leaned back she spoke seriously, "Definitely pizza first because I'm starving."

"Okay…" He picked up his phone and dialed, "Meat lovers plus onion okay?"

Jen nodded and flopped on the bed, trying to find something to watch. While Dean was on the phone she let her face fall, she couldn't help it but she was a little depressed about her sisters leaving. After Dean flipped the phone shut he sat next to her, handing Jen a beer and placing an arm around her, "Whatcha find?"

Jen sighed, "Nothing yet...what are you feeling?"

"Any movies on?"

"Umm...crap, crap, more crap. Oh...Cuckoo's Nest? They are gonna cut out the swearing cause its on a normal channel but.."

"Great movie no matter what." Dean said and sipped on his beer. Jen just leaned into his arm, even though this was one of her favorites, she really didn't watch it, just stared off into space, thinking. A funny part past and when Jen didn't laugh Dean sat more upright, concerned, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I was just…" The knock of the delivery guy cut her off. Jen got up and paid him. She tossed the pizza on the bed, "Dig in."

Dean smirked, grabbing a piece, "Don't mind if I do."

Jen sat back down and they split the the extra large pizza right up the middle, scarfing down the food while watching the movie. Dean wrapped his arm around her again, pulling her close. They finished that movie, and began the one on after that. As darkness began to creep through the sky, they finished off the six pack. Once it was totally dark and the second movie was winding down, Dean began to press his lips into the side of Jen's hair and then she felt the butterflies and excited nervousness that she always felt. But this time it was different, there was something else too. Jen couldn't really find a word for it but the events of the last few days were taking its toll. She wasn't really feeling it but she was going to try, for Dean. He pulled her flat, moving on top, Jen kissed him back, reaching for his shirt. He smiled, allowing Jen to pull it off, and returned to kissing her, pushing her farther into the mattress. As Dean began to move his hands to the top of her pants, he drug his lips down her body, pushing her shirt up. Immediately he knew something was off. Her body didn't respond like it normally would, she was stiff, the motions were forced. Dean stopped, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his chin right below her breasts he laid down and looked up, "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Jen panicked, "No...I…"

Dean half smiled, speaking softly, "What is it?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes, "I don't know...Don't worry about it, we can keep going…"

"Absolutely not. No way in hell." He said abruptly, Jen looked down, confused. Dean sighed and kissed her stomach lightly before he continued, "I'm guessing your upset about everything that has gone down. I know you didn't start the week thinking that you were going to have a family reunion...Jen, if you didn't want to you should have just said something."

Jen winced, "I'm sorry."

Dean scrambled upwards, kneeling over her, placing a hand on either side of her face, lightly forcing her to look at him, "Don't ever be sorry for something like that. I know you have had some fucking shitty experience with guys in the past, but I'm never going to be mad or even bummed out because you're not feelin it. I never want you to feel obligated."

Jen swallowed hard, now slightly embarrassed, "I'm so…"

"So help me God, Jen, stop apologizing."

"Sor…"

"Stop." Dean leaned down and kissed her much slower, easier than before. Simply to silence her and calm her down. When he stopped, Jen began to talk again, "I just...we always get interrupted or something always happens. And I was like 'oh great, the one time we actually have time I'm the problem'. So…"

Dean shook his head, laying back down across her, resting his head, "You are never, ever the problem. Babe, it is supposed to be fun for both of us all the time. No exceptions. Both and all. Always."

Jen was so incredibly relieved, she began running her fingers mindlessly through his hair. Dean's weight was oddly comforting for her, and for Dean listening to her eventually relax made him feel better about what had happened. Honestly, he had felt like shit that Jen would feel obligated, but he knew her history with Ethan hadn't given her a healthy view of relationships. Combining that with the quality that he admired most, Jen's willingness to give to other people, her selflessness; Dean knew that would cause her to be more worried about him than herself. He turned his head and brushed his lips over her stomach again, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm alright."

Dean respected that and pressed his face against her again, closing his eyes, content to simply lay with her the rest of the night. When her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck, she spoke softly, "Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"I…" She swallowed hard, Dean patiently waited, opening his eyes, watching her chest rise and fall. A few moments passed, "Dean...I love you."

Dean couldn't stop the smile, he closed his eyes, resting against her skin, "I love you too Jen."

They laid in silence, Dean tightened his arms around her, and Jen continued to play with his short hair. Eventually they both drifted off, sleeping through the night.


	22. Get Lucky

_Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz._

Sam picked up his phone from the nightstand without looking at the caller ID, "Yeah?"

"_Sam?_" It was Bobby. He glanced over at the clock. It was barely after three in the morning.

"_Sam? You there?"_

"Yeah...yeah. Sorry Bobby. What's up?"

"_Well your brother didn't answer his phone and Jen's went straight to voicemail. You guys alright?"_

Sam rubbed his eyes, sitting up, still trying to wake up, "Yeah, um...They are sleeping...I think. Is something wrong?"

"_Well what half of the U.S. are you guys on?"_

"You find a hunt?"

"_Maybe, or just some psycho. Where are you at?"_

"Oh...Carolinas. We just finished up a ghost and were catching up on some sleep."

"_Well I'm glad you boys think you have time for breaks. What do you want, a little R and R?" _Bobby said sarcastically. Sam just grinned.

"Its fine Bobby. What is it?" Sam grabbed the pad of paper and pen from the drawer and scribbled down notes as Bobby talked.

"_Well a hunter called me the other day, said he was on this thing down in Panama City. I never heard back from him and I checked local police reports and find a John Doe that matches his description, well at least what they found of him matches."_

"What do you mean?"

"_I mean there are people getting torn to shreds, everything eaten off the bones from the torso to the knees."_

"Shouldn't the police be all over this?"

"_They are tryin' to keep it hushed because it is the middle of college spring break season down there."_

"Shit. We can go down and take a look at it."

"_Thanks Sam. Tell your brother to answer his damn phone next time. You know, in case it is actually important."_

"I will Bobby. I'll let you know what happens."

"_See ya kid_." Sam tossed the phone, wondering if he should even bother them for a few more hours. Jen wouldn't care but Dean might be kinda pissed, or at a minimum annoyed. He staggered out of the room, to two doors down.

* * *

Jen groggily acknowledged a rapping at the door, trying to ignore it. She began to doze back off, but the knocking wouldn't allow it. Dean was still snoring, laying over her, holding her in a death grip. She shoved his head lightly, "Dean...the door."

He groaned, pulling his arms tighter around her back, yawning, "It can wait."

Jen glanced at the clock, "Dean...it is too early to be nothing."

The rapping got louder, "Dean! Jen! Get up!"

Dean groaned again, disgruntled, "Sammy, can't this wait 'til daylight?"

The knocking just continued. Dean refused to move, and Jen started wiggling, trying to break free. Dean eventually rolled over, Jen got up and stumbled to the door, twisting the handle, "Sam this had better be good or I will strangle you."

Sam looked down at her, "Bobby called."

Jen held the door open farther, walking back in and starting the coffee pot, collapsing in a chair at the table, "Well speak. Don't tell me I got up for no reason."

Dean finally sat up, head in his hands. This few hours of sleep every few days just wasn't cutting it, "Sammy, please tell me you did not wake us up at three in the morning for another hunt?"

"Bobby called, there is a thing going down in Florida. He lost contact with a hunter and there is a John Doe that matches the description."

Jen's head swung up, "Like Florida the state? Like for once the job is actually somewhere warm?"

Sam nodded, "Panama City."

* * *

Fucking eighty degrees and sunny as the Impala pulled into Panama City. I couldn't believe we had finally lucked out on a hunt. No creepy, wet, dark backroads. No drizzly, cold, shitty weather. Just sun and sandy beaches. Dean eased the car to the curb, looking through the windsheild, "I feel like we should be jammin some Van Halen or something."

I scoffed, "Is it weird that I feel out of place here?"

Sam turned in the front seat, "What? We can't wear three layers and jeans without looking suspicious."

I chuckled, "Yeah...pretty much."

A group of college aged people ran across the road as the light turned. The girls were in shorts and bikini tops and the guys just wore swim trunks. I sighed, "So we have no idea if there is even is a monster, and if they are here, they have an all you can eat buffet."

Dean turned and winked, "At least the view is nice."

I rolled my eyes and he laughed, "How do you guys want to handle this?"

Dean shrugged, "We need to see the bodies...Whose turn is it to upchuck?"

There was dead silence. Really guys, "I'll do it."

Sam nodded, "I can go talk to and call next of kin, see if there was anything weird going on. Dean, you wanna go canvas where the last body was found?"

"I think I can handle that. Jen, you wanna give me a call when you are done? We can find a place to crash and start researching."

I opened the door, "Sure."

I grabbed my suit out of the back and rapped on the hood, the Impala pulled away. I didn't mind dealing with the gross shit but it was hotter than hell out and I only had a black suit.

* * *

Sure as shit by the time I was walking into the police department and down to the county morgue, I was sweating bullets. The lady behind the counter took my name and informed me that the coroner had the day off, but that she could get me whatever I needed. The cool, damp of the morgue was welcoming, and I pulled out the slab with the body. Well, what was left of the body. Underneath the blood stained sheet there was nothing but bone. Bones with fleshy bits and pieces. Yuck. I looked the body over: the skin was shredded, the face was maimed and unidentifiable. Sighing, I pulled out my phone, dialing. As the call connected, I was greeted gruffly,

"_So now your damn phone is on."_

"Bobby, c'mon. We made it down here…"

"_So you think that I am at your guys beck and call?..."_

I cut him off, "I needed a couple hours shut eye. I'm here looking at this body and the face is ripped to hell. Did your buddy have any identifying marks or tats?"

"_I wouldn't call that ass, Aaron, a buddy. But he was army. Left shoulder had a tattoo of his unit or some shit like that."_

"Hold on a sec…" I put a pair of gloves on and pushed around the shreds of skin where the ball joint of the shoulder is, "If it was just a black one Bobby, it definitely looks like one was here. I am not going to be able to make it out though. Most of his body is totally shredded or gone."

"_Balls. Well you kids keep me up to date on what is going on. Be careful."_

"Always am."

I flipped the phone shut, glancing down at the body, "So sorry ol' chap."

* * *

Five hours, and seventeen files later Jen was waiting outside a diner for Dean and Sam. Even right before dusk, it was sweltering. Her feet hurt from the heels, sweat dripped down her back from the black suit. The familiar rumble of the Impala caused her to glance up over her sunglasses. It parked in front of her and the two boys emerged, Dean was carrying a couple of bags. Both were wearing suits as well, and as equally uncomfortable as she. They grabbed a booth in the far corner away from the few people that were there. After they all ordered, Sam began,

"Only one of the victims was a local. Friends and family said there is nothing out of the ordinary. Same old crap…Oh, then I was able to get ahold of some others by phone. All over the place on grades, where they are from, types of people. I am trying to track down any friends that they were with here "

Dean rolled his eyes, "So nothing."

Sam shook his head in response, "What did you find?"

Dean scoffed, "Just about as much diddly squat as you. Body was found in the sand and first responders figured that it was munched on. No one saw anything. No one heard anything."

Jen took a bite of her burger, "Same shit, different day."

Dean swallowed, "One more thing, college students are less than forthcoming with the FBI."

Jen laughed "I could have told you that. Half the people here are underage drinking. Doing all kinds of drugs and shit. They aren't gonna talk to a suit."

Dean wiped his hands, leaning back, "Fine then...What did you find hot shot?"

"Not much. The John Doe was Bobby's guy. At least as far as I can tell...Read over all the files, only thing they all had in common was that all the victims are guys. Other than this last one, they were all college students, jock types. Big and strong, they shouldn't have been easy targets."

"How many total?" Sam inquired.

"Seventeen. At least in this town. Made a few phone calls. This has been happening every year in different locations. Makes sense if you ask me."

Dean grabbed some more fries, "How the hell does that make any sense?"

Jen smirked, "Well, if I were a monster, spring break would be the perfect time. Loads of drunk people, guard down. Most monsters present as humans so who would think twice?"

Sam exhaled, annoyed, "So how the hell are we gonna do this? There are thousands upon thousands of people here for only a couple of weeks."

Dean picked up the bags next to him, "Lucky for you two, I am the man with the plan. C'mon, it is getting late, let's go find somewhere to crash."

Sam left cash on the table and they left. Every hotel in town was booked. After another two hours of driving, on the outside of town, one motel had two rooms. And they booked them for a couple weeks. After the car was parked and they were sitting in a room, Dean began to run them through his plan,

"So Jen was right. After I saw that no one will talk to some suits, I got to thinking…"

"Don't hurt yourself, " Jen chuckled. Dean rolled his eyes, "Smartass. Anyway they will talk to a few fellow college students on spring break."

He tossed Sam and Jen each a bag, "So we pretend to be college kids."

* * *

I looked in the bag and rummaged around in the contents, feeling like I was gonna throw up. I hurried out of the room, heading for mine. I couldn't do this, not what he was asking. I struggled with the key, flung open the door, breathing heavily. I turned the cold water on, splashing it on my face, still in a panic.

"Jen?" Dean's voice carried through the room. It was soft but worried, "Jen?"

"Hold on." I responded quietly. But he didn't, pushing his way into the bathroom. Catching his green eyes in the mirror, he went to touch me. I shook my head and he retracted his hand. Emotions sprayed across his face that I couldn't read, then he spoke slowly, "Are you okay?"

I pushed around him and into the main room, grabbing the bag, " I can't do this."

Inside the bag was a skimpy bikini, short shorts and a see through white top and sandles. Dean looked at me, clearly confused, "Is there something wrong with it? Do you not like it? I know it isn't your usual style, but I figured it would work. We can get something else."

I sank down onto the edge of the bed, "It isn't that…"

It was nothing that Dean had done, it was a combination of my past and my present insecurities. I couldn't meet his eyes. After a few quiet moments he kneeled between my knees, and his fingers pulled my chin up, "Hey."

His eyes are concerned, God, he must think I am nuts. Which wouldn't be too far off base, "Babe, talk to me please."

I chewed my tongue, "It is kinda two fold...Talking about it isn't gonna change it."

He moved his hands to my sides, rubbing them up and down slowly. Waiting patiently. I knew he knew what the first reason was, he was just waiting for me to say it outloud.

"I try so hard Dean. But that fucker is still renting space in my head. And you're so good about it, I really feel awful, but I get this pit in my stomach, and I can't stop…And, a-"

Dean brought my hand to his lips and ran them across the top of my knuckles, "Don't feel awful. Jen, you don't see this from my side. Do you realize how much you have changed since I have known you?"

He ran his fingers along my shoulders and neck, "I couldn't touch you like this before without you going into a full scale panic attack. We will get there. Give it time."

I folded my hands in my lap, "I don't understand how you put up with me like this, I can't put up with me like this."

He chuckled, and winked at me suggestively, "I do."

I half smile and shove his shoulder, "Shut up."

"Style?"

I shook my head, "Color."

"I will remember. Not red." He paused, thinking, "...What is the second thing?"

"Oh… that's ...it is. It is stupid." I blushed. His hands moved to my thighs, "Jen?"

I met his gaze, and spoke quickly, under my breath, "I can't wear something like that."

He bit down hard on his lip, obviously suppressing a laugh, "Dean. It isn't funny."

"Why can't you wear something like that?"

"I'm not a size zero!"

"That's why I didn't get it in a zero." He said calmly, clearly not seeing the issue I had with this.

My voice raised, wavering, "I can't. I'm a chub. My thighs touch and have you seen the amount of scars I have?"

Dean started laughing so hard, he buried his face into my chest, "Stop laughing."

He straightened, hand flying to the back of my head, pulling my lips to meet his. It caught me off guard, but I recovered, allowing him access. I wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips moved from my lips, to my neck, down to the crook of my collarbone.

"Babe for how smart you are, sometimes you are clueless as hell." He sat up on the bed beside me, hand on my knee.

"Number one, not a skeleton does not mean chub. I remember right after we met, you rockin it around the bar to distract poor bastards so you could pick their pockets. Skinny jeans and boots if memory serves me...You're not a six-one model. You are five-six and a farm girl."

His hand ran farther up my leg, fingers brushing my inner thighs, "Sweetheart, your thighs touch because you are knock kneed as hell."

Dean's fingers were right above my hip now, his lips near my ear, voice low "And do you mean like this scar...Where I patched you up the first time?"

My breath hitched at the memory of that job. Us looking for Sam, our first kiss, the insane tension. Fingers wandered to my side, "Here, Chicago...The first time I pulled you against me."

Chicago was the shadow demons, when we killed Meg the first time. I had fallen asleep in Dean's arms. Dean's face now pressed against my cheek, his breath warm, "Or this one…?"

The one right above my breast, I exhaled, "Boston. The first time we made out."

He chuckled, "I was gonna say slept in the same bed, but yours works too."

I closed my eyes, his touch wondering to my palm, calloused, rough hands brought it to his lips, "Salvation, Iowa."

I smiled and met his eyes, "The first time you said you loved me."

Dean's lips turned into that goofy ass grin, pulling me against his chest. I could hear his heart beat steadily, but when I turned my lips up to his chin, it fluttered erratically.

I speak quietly, "For future reference...I like purple, green, or brown."

He pulled me closer to his chest, "Ok...If it makes you feel better, I'm going to have to wear swim trunks."

I giggled, "You? Shorts?"

Dean chuckled, "That and the whole shirtless thing."

Glancing up, I raise an eyebrow, "Because hot college girls throwing themselves at you is terrifying, I'm sure."

"Hey...your not the only one that gets to be insecure."

I sat back, covering my mouth with both of my hands to keep from laughing. There is no reason for him to be self conscious about anything, "Are you serious?"

"Are you laughing at me?" Dean grins awkwardly.

"With you, I swear." But now my curiosity was piqued, what could Dean possibly not like about himself? I knew he had the whole world on his shoulders thing, the responsibility, hero complex. But this wasn't about that, "Dean?"

I ran my hands over his chest, down his front, and when my hands hit the front of his stomach, he twitched, _no Dean_.

Now he wouldn't meet my eyes. It was like he just admitted his kryptonite to me. I didn't know what to say to him, I didn't give a shit that he didn't have abs. Kneeling, I grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at me. I touched my lips to his, "Sweetie, no."

His eyes held mine and I continued, "That is one of my favorite things."

Dean smiled, and it reached his eyes, "You are so full of shit Jen."

For some reason I gain confidence, leaning forward I mirror how he kissed me earlier; across his jawbone and down his neck, my hands creeping under his shirt. I whisper, "If you can like my scars, why can't I like your tummy?"

He doesn't respond, just pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around my waist,

"Babe…" He groans, pulling me down on the bed, holding me in a death grip, arms running over my body. I rested my forehead against his chest, just listening to his breathing even out as he fell asleep. And I think I finally got it, Dean saw me exactly how I saw him: without flaws. Everything about him, to me was perfect, and I couldn't accept that there was anything wrong with him. When he looked at me, he didn't see the scars or my past, he saw the girl that he had known since he met me. The revelation made me feel fantastic, relaxed, and more confident than I have ever felt. These thoughts ran through my head until I finally drifted off.

* * *

Jen woke and was immediately aware of Dean's absence. Her eyes opened, and though the humidity hung thick in the air, the sheets beside her were cool. Dean had been gone for a while. She rolled over, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Jen got up and walked the coffee pot, surprised to see it was already on and there was a cup sitting next to it. She smiled to herself, poured it and headed for the other room, sure that Sam had probably been up researching all night.

Walking to the other room she noticed that the Impala was gone. Peeking in the window, Sam was already sitting on his laptop, engulfed in the webpages. Jen walked right in, "Morning."

Sam looked up, "Hey."

Jen took a seat across from him, "Did you sleep at all?"

"Little bit… I was trying to narrow this down a little bit, but I didn't come up with much. Actually it is easier to figure out what its not."

Jen nodded, "Well it isn't a ghost."

"Right. It isn't a werewolf because the lunar cycle isn't right. Not a vampire. Nor is it any of our normal garden variety monsters."

Jen thought for a moment, "Gods?"

Sam shook his head, "That was my next guess, but nothing really fits right. So I still don't have a good idea."

"Where did Dean go?"

Sam shrugged, "He came in, got dressed and left. He thought I was asleep so he didn't say anything."

Jen tried to hide her disappointment, "Do you want some help?"

Sam grabbed a stack of folders from the chair, "You wanna go through these again and see if we missed a connection. I think that is the only way we are going to nail this thing."

"Sure." Jen sat with Sam in silence, going over the case files again and again. Like she had seen last night, all of these guys wouldn't have been easy targets. They had been with friends, they were big and they were strong.

"There may be something here Sam...Ten of these guys went missing from the same bar."

Sam shrugged, "It would be a place to start. When was the last time anyone saw them?"

"Midnight. Maybe a little later."

"Its a start. We should still try and go talk to people today. Maybe there is some clue as to what it is, something simple that we are missing."

"Sure…" Jen was cut off by the door bouncing open and Dean strolling in carrying a bag of breakfast and three coffees.

"Here you go...Dark with little cream for Jen. And...half cap frap something for Francis over here." Sam scowled but took the coffee. Dean tossed out the sandwiches, Jen started eating gratefully. She was hungry as hell.

Sam took a bite from his food, made a face and then tossed it to the side, "Jen found that a lot of these guys went missing from the same place."

Dean talked through the food in his mouth, "M'k...So?"

Sam sighed, "So we should probably be there tonight."

Jen polished off her first sandwich and began another, "What time should we head out?"

Dean glanced at his watch, "You think like noon? That's like three hours. People are up by then right?"

Jen nodded, "I'm going to get a shower and look over these files again, make a few calls. You guys need anything?"

"Nope." Sam replied quickly and was already absorbed in his laptop again. Dean shot her a quick smile and shook his head.

When Jen returned to her room, she tossed the files on the table and headed for the bathroom. A new bag sitting neatly on the bed caught her eye. Opening it, a note laid on top of the contents.

'_Sorry about last night, I had no idea. Hope this works better. I couldn't find purple_. '

Inside the bag was a new set of clothes. Instead of the skimpy red, there was now a deep green two piece, it was still a tie one, but it cover a hell of a lot more. There was a grey tank that was translucent, and a pair of light denim shorts that were a little longer than the ones before. Jen smiled as she got into the shower.

After, Jen was sitting at the table in a robe, her hair up in a towel and she was making calls, putting the word out. But no hunter had ever heard of anything like this.

* * *

Right after noon we were stepping out onto the white sand beach. The water was a beautiful blue and the weather was fantastic. The only thing that ruined it was the thousands of screaming college kids running amok. I shook my head, already at a loss, "Where do we even start?"

Sam scoffed, "We could try talking to people."

We were all out of element. Shady biker bars was one thing, but this...This was one of my worst nightmares. There was just too much ground to cover.

"Well I did make those calls to the colleges and the police. We know what friends they were here with. I guess we could just stalk them."

Dean turned, "You said that no hunter had ran into something like this before?"

"Not that I talked to. A few of them are making calls and will get back to me if anything turns up."

We wandered in separate directions. I was ducking between the crowded bodies that were drinking, dancing, talking and pretty much anything else you would expect. When I was bumped into I usually got the second glance and the, "My bad sweetie...How about a drink?"

I turned down every one, trying to find a face from one of the files. It wasn't until I reached a beach volleyball area that I saw a familiar face. A tanned, shirtless, blonde guy was on the sideline. I recognized him from a photograph. He was number fifteen best friend. I bumped into him, and sputtered, "I'm so sorry."

He turned startled, but smiled "It is okay sweetie."

Typical fuckboy, "I'm such a clutz. I hope I didn't ruin your game."

"Not at all. I was just watching...You wanna drink?"

I smiled, "Umm, sure I guess."

He flashed his teeth and went to a table and grabbed a beer, handing it to me, "Where you from?"

"Harvard." It was the easiest lie. "You?"

"Yale." Of course, because that's where fifteen was from.

I touched his forearm, "You down here with friends?"

He smile grew, "Yeah, we have a big group from the bio department…"

His face darkened. "What is it?"

He shook it off, "Nothing. We lost one of our friends that we came here with recently."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It isn't your problem...I'm being rude, I am Andy."

"Jen...What happened with you friend?" I tried my best to look concerned.

"He went missing from the bar we were at. Figured he went on a bender, but they found his body a few days later. It really sucks."

"I'm sure." I talked to him for awhile, until one of his friends distracted him. I slipped away, leaving my still full beer on the table. I began to look for Dean and Sam. I figured gigantor shouldn't be too hard to find. But I had been wrong. It took me over an hour to find them. It was annoying, I couldn't enjoy this place because every person I ran into could potentially be the thing that we were hunting. Sam was talking to a brunette in a pink swimsuit. She was talking animatedly and he was nodding along. I waited until she slipped him her number and bounced away.

"Are you ever going to call her?"

Sam glanced over, unaware that I had been watching, "Maybe...You find anything?"

"Maybe."

Sam rolled his eyes, "You seen Dean anywhere?"

"No. I have been looking for you guys. It is hard to find anything in this mess."

"C'mon." He walked away and I scampered after him, scanning my surroundings.

"Did you talk to anyone that you weren't gettin' a number from?"

"Yeah, I found some of two of the guys friends. One said they thought they saw thirteen leave with a redhead."

"Sam! Jen!" I turned to see Dean trotting towards us through the crowd. He was obviously having a great time.

Dean skidded to a stop, "You guys wanna go chill for a little bit? I found a place with some chairs. This place is freaking awesome."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to follow, Sam trailing us. A place right in front of the water was lined with white lounge chairs. He lead me to three right beside of each other. He pulled off his shirt and sat down, lounging out. Hesitantly, I followed suit, ditching my shirt and pants, laying down on the chair. The sun felt wonderful. Relaxing, I let my eyes close and I dozed off.

* * *

After a few hours, Dean woke with a jolt. It had been a really long time since he had napped in the afternoon. He looked over and Sam was over talking to a group of students. Jen was out, her sunglasses covered her eyes but her mouth hung slack.

"Jen?" Dean shoved her shoulder, "Get up."

She jumped, startled, wiping off her face, "Hey, we should probably get going. You said that all those people went missing from a bar, right?"

Jen nodded, "Yeah, ten of them."

He tossed Jen her clothes from the ground, "Let's get Sam and get going."

Sam strolled back over, "Glad to see you two are awake. I just was talking to one of the friends. Though he didn't go missing from that bar he was there earlier in the day. As were the a lot of the others."

Dean smirked, "Bar time."

Jen nodded, "Let's go get our drink on."

* * *

We had been in the bar for a few hours, chatting up some of the students. I still had no idea what we were looking for. This was the biggest lead. At least fifteen of the guys had last been seen here in this dark, beach themed bar. And definitely ten had gone missing directly from here. Now I was leaning against the bar, downing another shot of whiskey. I was still wearing my 'beach gear' from the day, which had been the cause of quite a bit of unwanted attention. Dean's low, husky voice startled me, "Hey sexy. Can I buy your next drink?"

His arm wrapped around my waist as he buried his lips in my neck. I giggled, "Has that line ever actually worked for you?"

"You would be surprised."

I turned to face him, hand on my hip, "Really?"

Dean grinned, "You don't believe me?"

I shook my head, and challenged him, "Is that your best game?"

He leaned against the bar and winked, "Babe, you have no idea...How did you know about my game anyway?"

I shrugged, "You're the type, plus you put a couple of beers in Sam and he will spill just about anything."

"The type?" He feigned offense.

"Smooth talker...Plus like I said, Sam spills his guts. If I were you I wouldn't tell him your plans for world domination or anything."

Dean chuckled, "So do I get a shot?"

"For what?"

"To show you my mad game?"

I threw back another shot, "What the hell... How would _the_ Dean Winchester pick me up in a bar?"

He pushed my hair behind my ear and over my shoulder, fingers lingering, "Hmm...You would be an all night project. Your obviously smart. I wouldn't be able to feed you some shit like I am a talent scout or army ranger. You would see right through it. I would just offer to buy you a drink, be charming…"

I snorted, cutting him off, "Charming? You?"

He rolled his eyes, "We would do the whole name intro thing."

I looked up under my lashes at him, Dean continued, "So...you're not from around here? Where are you from?"

I played along, "Wisconsin, but work keeps me on the road a lot."

Dean leaned back, more than willing to play, "Really? What kind of work?"

I bite my tongue, thinking, "I am a vendor for a company that brands for sportsman equipment."

He smirked, "Interesting, a woman that handles guns and rods on a regular basis."

I blushed and put a hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. Dean smiled. I recovered, "So what do you do?"

"Actually, work takes me on the road a lot as well. My brother and I work construction."

Alright Dean, you wanna play, "So you work with your hands a lot? And operate heavy equipment?" I smile, trying not to laugh again.

He nodded, "From time to time...See the trick is getting you to laugh."

"Alright Dean, I will give you that one."

"So we talk the rest of the night, hopefully get you slightly tipsy. Play pool or something with you. Normally, I would play down a little, but in your case you would kick my ass. That would put a huge dent in my ego. Then talk to you some more and pray that you would go home with me."

"And that's it?"

"Would it have worked?"

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him against me, "Not if you would have beat me at pool. Total dealbreaker. I don't like to lose"

"I don't know Jen, you were flirting pretty hard...Actually, you were verging on naughty."

I blushed, "Not as much as you."

He smirked, "Hands? Heavy equipment? That's dirty talk...You want a beer?"

I nod and he orders two beers, handing me one, "Do you think we are actually gonna find anything?"

I rolled my eyes, "I don't know. We haven't came up with shit all day. Hell, we don't even know what shit we are looking for. We don't have a clue what is killing these guys."

Dean sips his beer, watching people. I glanced around, "Where's Sam at?"

He shrugged, "Last I saw he was getting grinded on by some sorority chicks."

And sure enough, I spotted him in a corner, backing away from a blonde in pursuit. Dean put his hand on the small of my back, making small circles, "You wanna get outta here or drink some more?"

I glance down at his watch, it is a little after midnight, "Let's stay another hour. Make sure nothing happens."

"Whatever you want."

A couple more shots and I had a decent buzz going. Dean pulled me against him as Sam approached, yelling above the obnoxious music, "You guys see anything?"

I shook my head, "I'm at a loss. Someone should have fanged out or been screaming by now. If there even is something here."

Sam sipped out of his glass, "Should we switch bars?"

Dean downed the rest of his beer, "I don't know. You two said that ten of the guys went missing from here."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead, I was pretty bored with nothing to hustle. What kind of shitty bar didn't have any games in it?

Sam sighed, "How about you two go back and get some sleep? There is no sense in us all suffering for nothing. I can catch a cab back to the motel."

Dean smacked his brother on the shoulder, "You sure man?"

Sam nodded, then turned away, striking up a conversation with some of the students. Dean tightened his arms around me, speaking low into my ear, "You ready to go?"

I spun to face him, pulling at the front of his t-shirt, standing up on tiptoes to meet his lips. When I dropped back down, he looked surprised, "Is that a yes?"

The sudden courage was definitely, partially, more than likely due to the booze, "I think that's a yes."

Dean grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowded bar to the exit. In the parking lot he held the passenger of the Impala for me, holding my hand until I was completely and comfortably seated, then he leaned in and kissed me lightly before closing the door and running to the driver's side. I watched him in the moonlight as he drove, Dean glanced over at me and was all smiles when he catches me staring. His free hand moved over to my thigh and I scooted closer to him. "Babe?"

I leaned against his shoulder, "Hmm?"

"How drunk are you?"

I did a quick assessment, "I'm a little buzzed, not drunk."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you hear me slurring?"

He chuckled, "Okay...you win that one."

I was confused, "Why?"

The Impala pulled in front of the room, hooking a finger under my chin, he spoke slowly, "I don't want you doing anything you don't want to do."

Smiling, I kissed him quickly, "I don't do anything I don't want to do...At least not anymore, since I met you."

He bit his lip, his hand on my cheek, thumb tracing my bottom lip, "Well then, Wesson, what do you want?"

My heart skipped, my voice came out breathy and low, "I want you to kiss me Winchester."

Dean pulled me against him, the kiss was slow but intense, I was already lost and unfocused, overwhelmed. He bit my bottom lip, tugging on it as he pulled back. My heart was pounding through my chest, unable to breathe. I searched his green eyes, they were soft, full of giddy excitement and intently focused on me. I let my hands wander up his stomach to his chest. Dean grabbed my hands in his, leaving trails of kisses over the tops of my knuckles, "Let's go."

* * *

Dean pulled Jen out the driver's side with him, never letting go of her. He needed her, it had been too long since they had first been together, shit always got in their way. Through the door he slammed it and he pushed her against the wall, bending down to lock his lips with hers. Jen's fingers moved into his waistband, pressing the tips into his skin. Dean groaned into her mouth,

"Babe, slow down…" Dean stood back, cupping her chin, "...I want this to last all night."

Jen smiled, joking, "You think awful highly of yourself."

"Wise ass." He pulled at the hem of her tank, lifting it over her head, dark brown curls falling across her face and down her chest. Dean pushed her hair back, running his fingers through the locks. He kissed her neck again, "What do you want?"

She squirmed, muscles tensing, "You."

Dean kept her pressed back, slowly kneeling, leaving wet kisses down between her breast, down her stomach to her fingers pulled his hair, hips bucking forward slightly, "Easy Jen."

He kissed her stomach over and over again, her eyes closed, "Dean."

Dean wanted to tease her longer, but he knew she was overwhelmed already. As he stood up again, Dean jerked her pants down, leaving Jen standing the deep green bikini. He laughed, Jen was taken aback and pushed him at arm's length, confused "What?"

"You look a little burnt." Sure enough, Jen's stomach and upper legs, places that had never seen sunlight, were bright red against the rest of her tanned skin, "It doesn't hurt...At least not yet...I'm sure you probably are too."

Jen reached for his shirt, pulling the edges upward. But his height made it difficult for her to pull it all the way over, Dean chuckled and made quick order of it as her fingertips moved to the lines on his hips. Where his farmers tan stopped the skin was an angry red. He chuckled, then met her eyes. For the first time in his entire life Dean wasn't prepared for what he saw, and he couldn't breathe. Jen's eyes conveyed nothing but softness, openness. They were unguarded and trusting. A smile played loosely at his lips as he studied her face. Calm, happy, and for the first time, totally unafraid.

"What?" She questioned, voice strong and low.

"You are beautiful."

Jen's face flushed and she cast her eyes down. Dean groaned and grabbed her chin, "Why don't you believe me?"

She never answered, Dean buried his face in her neck, guiding her towards the bed. He sat down, his hands squeezed her hips, pulling her to straddle his lap. Jen tensed, Dean understood; she wasn't confident enough to take charge. He squeezed the back of her thighs and she rolled her hips forward, kissing him hard. They lost track of time, her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him as close as possible. Jen pulled away, out of breath, leaning her forehead against his. She closed her eyes, he watched the quick rise and fall of her chest. Dean wanted to touch every inch of her.

"Babe?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes never opened.

"Are you good?"

Jen's eyes opened and drug her hands to his cheeks, his scruff rough against her palms. "Yes, Dean."

She grabbed his waistband and pushed down. Dean knew what she wanted but opted for teasing her instead, "So you're in a bit of dilema."

Jen's eyes met his, smirking, "If I can't get your pants off, you don't get laid either."

"Touche." He stood up, dropping Jen to her feet, making quick work of his shorts, standing in front of her, totally naked and exposed. She closed the gap inbetween, standing on tip toes, waiting. Dean ran his hands through her hair, holding her face and kissed her slowly. With one hand he untied the strings holding the bikini up, the fabric fell to the floor. One hand traced down the line of her neck, feeling where her skin changed textures. Jen moaned into his mouth as he continues south, tracing a breast, toying and then moving on. He pulled her feet from the ground suddenly and she gasped in surprise. Dean chuckled low, dropping her onto the bed. Jen watched him, face haloed in the mess of hair. As she went to sit upright, Dean tugged her ankle, causing her to fall back, "Dean?"

He grinned and began at the inside of her ankle, leaving nibbles and kisses all the way up her inner leg. Each time he made contact, her body quivered. When he made it to the inside of her knee, Jen jerked, hard, back arching, "Sh-it."

Dean glanced up, and Jen met him with an embarrassed glance.

"Your fine Babe, just feel it." More than anything he wanted her to relax and feel comfortable. After last night he knew it was more than just her past that put her on edge when they were intimate. Dean did not want Jen to ever feel shy or ashamed about her body. As he continued, her fingers fisted in the sheet, moaning incoherently. Dean put his shoulders under her knees, pulling her closer. Dean's hands rubbed over her stomach, feeling her muscles clench and unclench. Dean leaned on his elbows, trying to unclench her fingers from the sheets. When her grip lessened, he laced his fingers into Jen's, her grip vice like.

He went down on her slowly, tongue searching, flicking, nipping. Jen whimpered, back arching. Her short nails bit into the top of his hand, her knees clenched on either side of his head, "Dean. D-ean."

"Its okay Babe, let go."

Jen came hard, squirming and screaming. Dean moved quickly, pinning her hands above her head, fingers still intertwined. He left a trail of kisses up her stomach, before kissing her lips. Jen responded but her eyes were still glazed, her grip on his hands pulsing. Dean lined up and moved into her quickly, before she came down from her high, moving slow and even. Jen's breath kept hitching, catching. Dean lost himself in her, he had never been this close, this exposed with anyone in his life. Jen brought out a different side to him, one that confused and excited him at the same time. Dean could feel her closing in again, he buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent; vanilla, oranges and sweat. She flew over the edge again, unable to form words. Dean quickly followed, yelling her name, collapsing.

Dean rolled over, pulling Jen on top of him. He held one of her hands and with the other traced lines up and down her spine. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, Jen turned her face to his chest, placing small kisses and then resting her chin on his sternum, watching his face. Dean propped his head up, staring into her eyes. They were bright, the color when you look up under the canopy of trees when it's sunny, "Hey gorgeous."

Her face pulled into a sleepy half smile, "Hey yourself."

And she nuzzled into his chest, falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

I tried to shake off the sleep the next morning, but I didn't even want to open my eyes. Dean wasn't asleep, his fingers were running through my hair.

"I know you're awake Jen." I turned my face towards him, resting my chin. My eyes adjusting to the dim light cast from the bathroom.

"You could have gotten up if you wanted to." I replied.

He shrugged, "Honestly, I didn't want to get up. Plus…"

He reached for the radio clock next to the bed, my eyes followed. The clock read 5:30AM.

"Shit." I mumbled, burying my face against I toyed with the necklace that he always wore: simple cord with a bronze amulet, "You always wear this."

I gave it a tug and he smiled, "Sam gave it to me for Christmas one year...Must have been twelve or thirteen...What about yours?"

He pulled on my cross, sliding it across the chain, "My parents got it for me after I had a really good year showing horses. Best part...The cross and the chain are both silver."

He chuckled, "So it is convenient as well as nostalgic...The rings too?"

His fingers laced through mine, "I picked those up over time at different cases...But all silver."

I sensed Dean wanted to talk about something, "What is it Dean?"

"I don't know."

"You are thinking." I stated simply.

He smiled in response, "Can you hear the gears grinding?"

I giggled, thinking myself, "What about?"

"You, mostly... And the case."

I smiled, closing my eyes, content. But then I blurted out, "Was that okay?"

I blushed and glanced up at Dean, he seemed genuinely confused, "What?"

Now I was embarrassed and couldn't meet his eyes, my voice was quiet, "Last night."

Dean started laughing, "Are you serious?"

I wouldn't answer, "Christ sakes Jen. You have freaking nerves of steel. Are confident enough to face down a fucking vamps next without back up, but you aren't sure if that was okay?...Let me ask you something…"

Dean pulled my chin up, forcing me to look at him as he spoke, "How do you feel?"

"Fantastic." I whisper. Dean smiled, "There you go...This isn't a just bar pick-up. Its different."

Tumblers fell into place in my head, I slapped Dean on the chest, "Son of a bitch...I can't believe we missed it."

"Ouch Jen...What did we miss?" I pushed off of him, grabbing clothes and quickly trying to dress.

"Jen? I swear when you get a bug up your ass…" He grabbed my hand from the bed, before I could grab my shirt and pants, "...What is it?"

"Its a pick-up."

Dean sat up, keeping me in place, "You gotta explain."

I smirked, "It's just a pick-up."

I tried to move away, keep dressing, but he grabbed my other hand as well, "Jen?"

I was excited, "These guys are just falling for it. The monster is posing as some chick, picking up these guys up... Letting them think she is getting picked up by them. Dean, it is so simple."

Suddenly, the door opened. Dean jumped quickly, covering me with his body as Sam stumbled into the room, "Guys we got anoth-...Oh, shit. C'mon guys."

He shielded his eyes as he turned around, "Would you two put some clothes on?"

I chuckled uncomfortably and Dean tossed me his t-shirt from the floor. I slipped it on with my jean shorts and he grabbed stuff from his bag.

"There was another what, Sam?" I asked. He turned around cautiously, "There was another victim found this morning...Did you guys seriously have to do this in _this_ room?"

Dean slapped his brother's shoulder, "Heat of the moment Sammy."

I blushed deeply, "W-where was the guy found?"

Dean stopped, pointing at Sam, "Hold up...Speaking of this room. Where were you all night?"

Sam shot Dean an annoyed glance, "None of your damn business."

"Sammy got laid, Sammy got laid…" Dean chanted.

"Dean! Shut the hell up!" Sam's voice raised.

I winked, "Who was she? That blonde chasing you around?"

"Would you two drop it...We have bigger problems right now. Another college guy was just found on the beach. Same thing as the last one."

I rolled my eyes, "Shit."

Dean cleared his throat, "Jen had an idea on how the monster was getting to them."

Sam turned to me, I shrunk back a little bit, still not confident that my idea was right, "I think it might be someone letting these guys pick her up."

Sam nodded, "It's a good start. I mean, it makes sense. That would get these guys away from their friends, expose them."

I nod, "I can go get witness statements because the local department already thinks I'm FBI. We already know what the body is gonna look like, so thats not important but you two should lay low and do some research here."

I went to leave the room, Dean stopped me, "Why Jen?"

"Isn't it obvious?... You two are exactly the monsters type."

* * *

I walked into the police station, the secretary greeted me, "Agent Conner, glad you are back. We are in way over our heads with this case."

I nodded, "Do you guys have any witnesses."

"Let me get one of the senior officers." She scampered off and returned with a tired looking man who introduced himself. Officer something or other, "Glad you're here Agent. I have a couple of the guy's friends in the box. Did you want to talk to them?"

I nodded, "Yes sir."

He turned and led me through the cubicles back to the interrogation room. Inside was a scrawny freckled guy and a brunette girl that was clinging to his arm. I turned to the officer, "Did they ID the body?"

He nodded, "The girl is the vic's younger sister. He was a senior from U of…" He glanced down at the file, "...Iowa."

I watched the two in the room and reached for the door handle, "Thanks sir, I will get back to you."

I entered the room and the couple watched me, I smiled, "I'm Agent Conner with the FBI. I would like to find out what happened with your brother. Who are you sir?"

He reached his free hand across the table, "Eric...I was one of Jay's friends."

I shook it and sat down, "So, what happened last night?...Take your time."

Eric began slowly, "We were just partying. All day, just like anyone else."

I sighed, "When was the last time you saw Jay?"

The girl had a high pitched voice, "We were at the bar…"

"Which bar?"

She rubbed her forehead, "Umm...Beachside."

_Fuck_. That was the bar we were at last night, where all the other guys went missing, "Go on miss."

She swallowed, "He was hitting on this girl...I think she was a redhead."

Eric cut her off, "Real bright hair. He was all over her, kept going on and on."

The girl shot him a look and he blushed, startled, " I personally didn't think she was all that. But he thought she was the hottest thing ever. She was all over him."

I nodded, "You guys both saw him leave with her?"

They glanced between each other, and Eric cleared his throat, "We...umm...we left before Jay did."

"Okay. Thanks. That's all I need."

I got up to leave. Well at least there was some lead.

* * *

Jen eased the Impala into the parking spot at the motel, grabbing the bag of fast food from the passenger's seat. She strolled into the room, ditching the jacket from the suit, "What do you guys got?"

Dean looked up from a stack of papers, "I got jack shit...Is that food?"

"Oh yeah…" Jen tossed him two burgers from the bag, tossing Sam a boxed salad and pulled out two burgers for herself.

"Thanks." Sam said, "What did you get?"

Jen talked through the mouthful of burger, "They saw the kid with some redhead."

Dean snapped his fingers, "Didn't one of the other guy's bros see him leave with a redhead?"

Jen nodded, "That's what you said at the beach...Well Sam, you find any monsters that like to pose as redheaded women and prey on men?"

He scoffed, "I will have to get back to you on that."

Jen wiped her face, "What about a goddess or a siren or some shit like that?"

Dean shrugged, "A hot monster? Who knew?"

Sam shrugged, "I will give Bobby a call after I eat."

They ate in silence. Then Jen went to shower and change. When she came back Sam was just hanging up the phone, "Well Bobby said we are all dumbasses. Gods require a ritual sacrifice and sirens make their victims kill someone else."

Jen scoffed, "And?"

"And he has no idea but he will let us know when he does...Said he knows someone who might know someone."

Jen started braiding her wet hair, "So what do we do in the mean time?"

"Well…" Dean started, "We have a description. We know her hunting grounds and we have the perfect bait."

"No Dean…" Jen warned.

Dean shook his head, "I'm a big boy and so is Sam. Plus we have the best for back up."

Jen rubbed her eyes, "But we don't know how to kill it because we don't know what it is."

Dean scoffed, "Technicalities."

Jen was on the verge of screaming, "I'm not letting either of you go anywhere until we know how to kill it."

Sam's voice was soft, "People are dying, Jen."

"People die all the goddam time!"

Dean grabbed her shoulders, "You will be there for back-up the whole time...Plus we got six or seven hours to figure this out...Plus if the situation were reversed you would be charging in."

Jen couldn't argue with that, so she just rolled her eyes and grabbed Sam's laptop, "You two better keep making calls."

* * *

My eyes were burning as dusk came. I couldn't find anything. My phone began to buzz, grabbing it,

"Hey Bobby….Tell me you got something?"

"_What do you think about an Empusa?"_

"Is that some sort of disease?"

"_No ya idjit...I was talking to a professor of mythology that someone recommended…"_

I cut him off, "Oh yeah...Isn't it Greek?"

"_Someone paid attention in school...They are kinda like the Greek version of vampires. Their meal of choice are young warriors that they lure to their death."_

"How do you kill it?"

"_I'm still working on that...Hoped you could help with that."_

"Shit Bobby, I'm down to the wire…"

"_I know. I will give you a call later."_

"Thanks."

I hung up the phone and tossed it down, rubbing my eyes, frustrated. Dean's voice startled me, "We were going to head out soon."

"You can't, I know what it is, but I have no idea how to kill it."

He smiled, "You will figure it out...What is it?"

"An Empusa."

Dean's brow furrowed, "Isn't that some sort of disease?"

I laughed, "Some sort of Greek vampire thing...Just give me another hour."

"Thirty minutes."

"Forty-five."

He nodded, "Deal."

* * *

I had five minutes left when I thought I had found a possibility, "Alright guys…"

Sam sat down across from me, "What is it?"

I gathered myself, "So the Empusa were made by the goddess Hecate, supposedly her daughters. She is the goddess of like sorcery, magic and witchcraft...Anyway, there isn't much on them other than they devour men, in particular warriors."

Dean sat on a chair backwards, "I'm not hearing how to kill them."

I sighed, "I'm getting there...Anyway the Greeks started worshipping Hecate because of her abilities so a lot of the other gods became jealous. But the worst was Artemis. She was pissed after some of the people who worshipped Hecate trashed her temple, so she introduced those people to mortal suicide and placed a curse on the daughters of Hecate."

I paused, looking at the rough translation on my screen, "Bobby and I have been trying to translate this document. Best we can figure, a stags horn bathed in moonlight through the heart...Bobby also thinks it is a terrible idea for you two to go through with this."

Dean scoffed, "Why?"

"Because once she turns her power on you you are going to have trouble thinking straight. You two are going to see an irresistible woman and she will actually use magic on you to make you go with her...Its funny because in reality she has flaming hair, pale face with red eyes, and one leg is made of bronze and the other is a donkey's leg."

Sam went to get up, "Will you be able to see her for what she is?"

I shrugged, "Maybe once I'm close or she is going to start feeding...We need to figure out how to get the stuff to kill it."

Dean grabbed the piece of paper from in front of me, "What about this _'bathed in moonlight'_ part?"

"I don't know how literal that is. I'm hoping that it just needs to be done when the moon is out...Lucky for us, tonight is a full moon."

Sam snatched the list from Dean, "But why a stag's horn and moonlight?"

"Well those are two of the things that typically represent Artemis. The full moon actually represents purity, the stag, innocence. Hecate with dark magic would be associated with the new moon."

Sam nodded, "Do you think a normal deer antler will work?"

I scoffed, "It's going to have to."

* * *

By 10:30PM I was back at Beachside Bar. Five towns over there had been a taxidermist who had luckily for us had a deer in, a nice ten point. Now each of those points were hidden in the bag slung over my shoulder. I prayed this crazy ass plan would work. I was already perched at a table in the back corner where I could see everyone. Sam was at the bar, chatting up some girls and Dean was scheduled to arrive in five minutes. The plan was for them to hit on every redhead in the bar, which could make this a wild goose chase. Hopefully she was here tonight.

One jock-type guy came over to me, "Hey...can I buy you a drink?"

I smiled politely and shook my head, "I'm good, thanks."

"C'mon...One drink? You are here all by yourself."

"No. I'm waiting for someone."

"Well if he doesn't show up…"

I nodded him off and as he walked away I rolled my eyes. I had this shit to look forward to all night. Hopefully something turned up soon. I watched as Dean entered the bar, walking straight up to the counter, ordering. It was a weird feeling not be accompanied by either of the Winchesters. It was kinda funny for how short of a time I had been with them I was so used to their company.

An hour passed, and then two and then….

* * *

I had dozed off in my seat, jerking awake I looked at my watch. Shit it was almost two. Scanning I searched for the boys, quickly finding Sam but couldn't see Dean. I glanced at my phone, no missed calls. Fuck. I ran over and grabbed Sam's shoulder, "Where's Dean?"

"Relax Jen. He is right…" He spun searching and the color left his face, "...Shit."

"Dammit." I hissed and ran out of the bar, Sam on my heels. I tossed him one of the prongs from my bag, and tried Dean's phone. It went to voicemail, "Son of a bitch."

Sam grabbed my shoulder, "You go around the front. I will go around the parking lot and meet you around back."

I nod and take off, scared. I run around the front, looking at every person closely. Dean was not here. I was by the back cook's entrance, and waited for Sam. A minute passed and then two. Where were they? I began sprinting for the parking lot, weaving in and out of the cars. Approaching an unlit section I skidded to a stop, Sam and Dean were facing away from me, standing totally still.

"Dean? Sam?" Neither turned, concentrating in front of them. As I approached, I saw a model-like redhead standing before them. Off to the side was an equally pretty blonde. They were talking to the boys, touching their arms. I pull my forty-five from the back of my pants, circling to the side, "Get the hell away from them."

I glanced at the boys, their eyes were glazed, unfocused. The redhead sized me up and chuckled, her voice bell-like, "Oh, Sam and Dean here aren't gonna answer you Jen."

I stopped breathing, "Ah yes, I know your name. See Dean here spilled all the nitty gritty on you guys over a couple of drinks. You being hunters and such. Sam?"

She held out her hand and Sam placed the prong in it, "Now...I have no idea where you got these from. But you are a clever girl."

I placed the sights on her, keeping an eye on the smirking blonde, "Let them go."

"I don't think so." She bared her teeth at me and I pulled off a shot. Hitting her square between the eyes.

"You little bitch." She hissed. I knew it wouldn't kill her but it made me feel a hell of a lot better. Her appearance changed, eyes glowing red, hair becoming dismayed, skin paling. Under the short skirt one leg became hoofed and the other shown like metal. She screeched, "Sasha, have Dean take care of her."

The blonde walked up to Dean, I moved the sights to her but was unsure if I could hit her without hitting Dean. She touched his arm, wrapping herself around him, whispering in his ear. I snarled, "Get the fuck away from him."

Dean looked down at her and then moved towards me, putting himself between me and the two Empusa. He stalked, eyes still unfocused.

"Dean?" He didn't respond. "Dean? I swear if you don't get out of my way I will put you down."

Dean kept stalking towards me. Shit. He moved quickly, trying to knock me off my feet. I sidestepped and shot him in the foot. He crumbled. The redhead Empusa screamed, frustrated. I reached into my bag, grabbing one of the prongs, brandishing it. Sasha moved quickly and I charged, stabbing into her heart. I backed away and as the full moon made the horn glow white, she burst into flames, crumbling to a pile of ash. Good. It worked.

The other screamed, rushing me before I could grab another. I was tossed onto the hood of a nearby car, crashing through the windshield. I was dazed, coughing. My ankle was grabbed and I was pulled out. Sam was dragging me back across the asphalt, the rocks digging into my skin. I kicked out, panicking. Sam grunted when my foot made contact with his shin. I scrambled and was tackled from behind, _dammit_. It knocked the wind out of me. I choked as Dean flipped me over, smacking my head against the ground, "Fuck."

I swung, hitting him in jaw. His grip faltered enough for me to escape. I stood, kneeing him in the face, knocking him out cold. Sam tried to grab me but his movement was clumsy. I knocked him over, lunging at the Empusa. I reached for the prong she was still holding, and struggled for it. She pushed, trying to stab me with it. I deflected, grabbing her wrist. I pulled her arm around, breaking her elbow and pushing it through her chest. She stared at me, in disbelief. Then she burst into flames.

I slumped down to the ground, trying to catch my breath. My heart was pounding through my chest. _Holy shit_.

"Jen?" I turned. Dean was rolling over, coming to. I glanced, Sam was getting to his feet, rubbing his head.

"Sam? Jen?" Dean was up to his knees. Sam waved him off, "I'm fine. Bruised, but okay."

Sam was up on his feet now, helping Dean up. I finally caught my breath. Dean stumbled over to me, "Jen?"

"I'm fine Dean."

He grabbed me, dragging me to my feet, "Babe, you have cuts all over the place."

I laughed, "Dean, I shot you."

Dean held me at arm's length, inspecting me, "I'm sorry."

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a bear hug, squeezing, pulling on the back of my shirt. I wrapped mine around his waist, burying my forehead in his chest, "I'm okay."

Dean started laughing, "You have a hell of a right hook."

I looked up, his jaw was swollen and starting to bruise. I scoffed and he released me. I turned to Sam, "Sorry about your leg."

He held out his hand. I went to shake it and he pulled me into a quick hug, clapping me on the back, "Thanks Jen. You saved our asses."

I punched him playfully, "Saved your guys' bacon again."

Dean laughed, "Don't get too big of a head."

I winked at him, "I will try not to...Why don't we get back to the hotel and get you two patched up?"

Dean nodded, "I might need some help."

Sam grabbed under his one shoulder, helping him walk. We made our way slowly back to the Impala.

* * *

Dean got out of the shower. His foot hurt like a bitch, but Jen had hit it so it hadn't gone all the way through. The pain was localized to the top. He face was a little fucked up, jaw swollen and a black eye, the skin busting. Dressing, he exited into the bedroom. Jen was on the bed, head resting on her knees. She had some road rash and a few bruises, but was in pretty good shape. Dean couldn't shake the guilt though, "Are you sure you are okay?"

She glanced over, "Yes Dean. Stop asking."

Dean looked at the floor, unable to meet her eyes, "Jen I remember it all. I'm so sorry."

"You had no control Dean. Everything is okay. If I wouldn't have fallen asleep I wouldn't have put you in that situation...Plus I shot you. I think we can call it even."

He nodded, "Where's Sam?"

They both turned at the rumble of the Impala engine, Jen tilted her head, "Getting some grub so we can eat."

Sam came busting through the door, "Got mexican...That okay?"

Jen jumped up, snatching the bag and rummaging through it, "Hell yes...I'm starving."

They all sat around the table, chowing down. Jen talked through mouthfuls, "Are we gonna stay here for a few days? Enjoy the sun?"

Sam shook his head, "Weather is supposed to be shit the next week. Cold and rainy."

Dean groaned, "We never catch a damn break."

Jen laughed, "I still can't believe you two were all gaga for a couple of monsters."

Dean got defensive, "It was like being roofied."

Sam jumped in, " I seem to remember your ass getting kicked."

Jen got defensive, "It was four against one!"

They all laughed and continued joking around. Spending the first day off in a while watching movies and downing a couple beers. Unable to go outside due to the rain pounding against the windows, a huge storm blowing in from the east.


	23. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

"Hey sleepy…" Dean's low voice rang. I groaned as Dean ran his fingers through my hair, his thumb rubbed over my cheek, "C'mon babe...we gotta get up."

"Mhm...Nope...Time is it?"

He chuckled, "Almost six."

"Fuck." My head was throbbing. We had closed the bar down last night. Well, technically, this morning.

"I told Sam this is stupid."

I ran my hand up his chest, "Yeah, but he is your brother. And sometimes you gotta take one for the team."

I watched his face and the corners of his lips twitch, "How you feelin this morning?"

"Rough." We just laid there for a moment, I ran my thumb over the stubble on his chin, over his bottom lip, "It was a hell of a week...I'm up like fifteen grand from pool and poker."

"Really?"

I nodded, "Yep...some of those people really sucked. So breakfast is on me."

He chuckled low and pulled me against his bare chest. Even though he was laying right here with me, he seemed so distant. I turned my nose and placed small kisses down his sternum. Dean groaned, "Don't start anything…"

He pulled my face back and kissed my lips quickly, resting his forehead against mine, "...We do _not_ have time for that."

My lips searched up his neck, pressing firmly into the base of Dean's jawline. He groaned again, "Fuck babe...you need to stop while you're ahead."

I ignored him, running my hands down his stomach. He grabbed my shoulders, flipped me onto my back, straddling, pinning me against the bed. I wriggled and he pushed his weight down on my hips, "Any second Sam is gonna knock on that door and we will have to go..."

I grinned and he sighed, "Dammit Jen."

His lips met mine firmly, lingering, taking his time, "...You know the luck we ha-"

He was cut off, "Dean! Jen! Let's get going!"

Dean smiled down at me, "See what I mean?"

* * *

It had been a couple of weeks since we left Florida. No hunts had turned up, we spent the time doing absolutely nothing. Which, weirdly, felt great. The last week had been a drunken blur during the night and days filled with stuff we never got to do: mini golf, a couple of town festivals, a few movies, and some other stuff. Hell, even Sam had lightened up a little bit. But two days ago Sam had started in on Dean. We were close to Kansas and Sam wanted to visit their mother's grave. Dean wasn't on board and they were fighting about it again in the front seat,

"Come on, Sam, I'm begging you. This is stupid."

Sam threw his hands up, "Why?"

Dean hit the steering wheel, "Going to visit Mom's grave? She doesn't even have a grave...there, there was no body left after the fire. "

"She has a headstone."

"Yeah, put up by her uncle, a man we've never even met. So you wanna go pay your respects to a slab of granite put up by a stranger?"

"Dean, that's not the point."

"Well then, enlighten me, Sam."

Sam's voice raised, "It's not about a body, or...or a casket. It's about her memory, okay?"

"Hmm." Dean glanced into the rear-view mirror at me. I forced an encouraging smile and he rolled his eyes. This was not something he wanted to do. I had heard about it all last night, almost non-stop.

Sam started again, "And after Dad it just... just feels like the right thing to do."

"It's irrational, that's what it is." Dean grumbled.

Sam threw his hands up, "Look, man. No one asked you to come."

"Why don't we swing by the roadhouse instead? I mean, we haven't heard anything on the demon Ash has something...We should be hunting that son of a bitch down."

"That's a good idea, you and Jen should. Just drop me off, I'll hitch a ride, and I'll meet you guys there tomorrow.

"Right...Ha.. Stuck ... stuck with those people, making awkward small talk until you show up? I don't want to put Jen through that. No thanks."

I started laughing, Dean turned, "Shut-up Jen."

I laughed harder, "Aww."

He reached over and smacked my knee, "Shush."

In return, I lightly punched his forearm. Dean, never taking his eyes off the road, grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. I laid my chin on his arm, on the back of the seat. Sam glanced over, "Would you two get a room?"

I sighed, a little bitter, "I had a room...and a shower...and a bed. Until someone decided for an impromptu road trip."

"Oh, you're fine." Sam insisted.

"I wasn't really looking forward to sleeping in the back of the car again." I teased.

Sam scoffed, "Yeah, cause you two really just sleep."

In all reality, that's all me and Dean had done was catch up on sleep. We had gone out, partied and then passed out pretty much every night. But this was just too fun to pass up, "What do you think we do in the car Sam?"

Dean shot me a confused look, Sam missed it and made a disgusted face, "Come on...I eat in here."

I tried not to crack, "All over…"

"Ugh...shut up, shut up. Shut-up!" Sam's voice raised, Dean was biting his lip, trying not to laugh. I leaned over, whispering, "Right where you're sitting."

Sam jumped, squirming, obviously uncomfortable. Dean broke down, howling, "Ah Sammy, you should have seen your face...Holy shit, Jen... Your awesome."

"You are as bad as him." Sam turned towards the window, mumbling, not amused. I turned and laid my cheek on Dean's arm, he looked over, smirking. I winked and he started chuckling again.

* * *

The graveyard was cold and dreary, the weather had turned from bad to worse. The sky had let loose. Jen stuck close to Dean who was wandering in and out of the gravestones. Jen scoffed, "You know...I feel kinda naked being in one of these during the day. It creeps me out."

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, I know it's weird."

Sam approached his mother's grave. Her headstone was a simple white granite and read: _MARY WINCHESTER, 1954-1983, In Loving Memory_. He pulled out a knife and his father's dog tags, sighing, "I think, um ... I think Dad would have wanted you to have these. "

He dug a small hole and dropped them in, covering them with the wet dirt, "I love you, Mom."

Sam stood up and stared pensively at the stone. Nearby Jen and Dean were walking along the path. Dean refused to go anywhere near the grave. Jen didn't know what to do, she didn't want to push Dean but this was something that Sam needed to do. She was watching Sam, curious, she spoke softly, "Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"What…" Jen was hesitant, she didn't want to add fuel to the fire, "...What was your mother like?"

Dean stopped in his tracks, surprised by her inquiry. Jen watched the emotions spraying across his face, "I'm sorry Dean...you don't have to say an…"

"No, Jen..It's fine. I was just thinking...She was beautiful, kind...an amazing woman and mother. She used to play with me all the time...go fish was one of my favorites. Every single night she would tell me that 'angels were watching over me'. She always made grilled cheese and tomato and rice soup. She had me make apple pie with her every week."

"Tomato and rice soup?"

Dean glanced down and smiled, "You don't like it?"

"I think tomato is disgusting I'm guessing adding some rice doesn't make it any better."

He chuckled, and then his face fell, "The thing I remember the most is the way she would look at us...Sammy and me. She loved us so much, you could see it in her eyes every time she would look at us."

His voice cracked, Jen wrapped her arm around his hip and rested her head on his shoulder. Dean stared at the ground, Jen was lost. Thinking about a dimpled little boy with green eyes eating tomato soup. Dean interrupted her thoughts, "Hey, Jen...take a look at this."

"Yeah…" There was a tree that was beginning to wilt. It was within the perfect circle of dead grass and plants surrounding a grave. Jen bit her lip, "Well that's not creepy at all."

Dean nodded, crouching down, fingering through the dead flowers, "Nothing weird about this."

She squatted next to him, reading the gravestone. Everything was dead. The vegetation looked like there had spent a month in the desert. Jen spotted a groundskeeper a ways over. She got up, jogging towards him. Dean followed in her wake. "Excuse me!"

When Sam was done, he looked around for the others. Jen and Dean were talking to the groundskeeper. He watched them shake the man's hand and take a card. They walked back and as Sam fell into step, Dean began talking, "Angela Mason. She was a student at the local college; funeral was three days ago."

Sam was confused, "And?"

Dean scoffed, "And? You saw her grave. Everything dead around it, in a perfect circle? You don't think that's a little weird?"

"Maybe the groundskeeper went a little aggro with the pesticide.."

Jen cut him off, "No. We asked...Guy said no one can explain it. They have never had a problem like this before. They said it just happened suddenly, like over night."

Sam stopped at the car, "Okay, so what are you thinking?"

Dean leaned on the Impala, "I dunno. Unholy ground, maybe?"

Sam shakes his head, "Un...Unbelievable."

Dean was appalled, "What? If something evil happened there, it could easily poison the ground. Remember the, the farm outside of Cedar Rapids?"

"Yeah, bu…"

Dean continued, "Could be the sign of a demonic presence. Or the, the Angela girl's spirit, if it's powerful enough."

Sam turned away, starting to get angry with his brother. Dean rolled his eyes, "Well, don't get too excited, you might pull something."

"It's just... stumbling onto a hunt? Here, of all places?"

"So?"

"So... are you sure this is about a hunt, and not about something else?"

Jen jumped in, "Sam...if this was anywhere else, you would be all over this."

"No, hold on Jen...Sam? What else would it be about?"

Sam sighed heavily and opened the car door, "You know, just forget about it."

Dean jumped in and started the car, still jawing, "You believe what you want, Sam, but… I let you drag my ass out here, the least we could do is check this out."

* * *

These two were worse than an old married couple sometimes, "Jen? You got that address?"

Dean pulled the Impala out, and I grabbed the piece of paper out of my jacket pocket, "Yeah, the girl's dad is a professor and works in town."

They kept shooting each other annoyed glances throughout the ten minute drive. Dean parked the car in front of the small college. We walked up the stairs in silence to Professor Mason's office. I reached up and rapped on the dark wood door. A tired looking middle aged man answered. He wasn't much taller than me and donned the typical liberal arts professor look.

"Dr Mason?" I inquired.

He looked at me skeptically, "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"I'm Sam. This is Dean and Jen. We were friends of Angela's. We ... we wanted to offer our condolences." Sam spoke softly.

Dr. Mason glanced between us, and then stood aside, "Please, come in."

We entered slowly, there wasn't any wall space open. If there weren't paintings, there were shelves upon shelves of books. Dr. Mason sat in a worn leather chair, opening a photo album. Sam sat next to him. Dean began flipping through a book that laid out. I wandered around the office, reading the titles.

Sam's voice was kind when he spoke again, "She was beautiful."

I had to give it to him...Even though he didn't believe there was a case, he knew how to handle the family members. Dr. Mason answer came, barely audible, "Yes, she was."

Dean slammed the book shut, startling me, "This is an unusual book."

He flipped the cover so that we could all see. It was Greek, and had a triangle carved into the cover.

Mason cleared his throat, "It's ancient Greek; I teach a course. "

Dean was clearly impatient, edgy. I wished he would calm down, this poor doctor had been through a lot, "So a car accident, that's, that's horrible."

"Angie was only a mile away from home when, uh …"

Dean nodded, "It's gotta be hard. Losing someone like that. Sometimes it's like they're still around. Almost like you can still sense their presence...You ever feel anything like that?"

Sam shot Dean a look, I rubbed my forehead. Dean was pushing too hard.

"I do...as a matter of fact."

Sam stared down Dean as he answered, "That's perfectly normal, Dr. Mason. Especially with what you're going through."

"You know, I still phone her. And the phone's ringing before I remember that, uh ... Family's everything, you know? Angie was the most important thing in my life. And now I... I'm just lost without her."

I forced a smile, feeling bad for the guy, "We are very sorry for your loss."

Dr. Mason looked up, "Thank you...If you guys don't mind, I have a class starting in about ten minutes."

I reached out my hand for him to shake, "We understand completely. Thank you for your time."

* * *

It was early evening when they arrived at a hotel. Dinner had been eaten in almost complete silence. Sam thought Dean was making shit up. Dean thought Sam was letting his emotions get the better of him. Jen was sick of them fighting. They were all sharing a room at a small motel with a dark interior. Nothing looked like it had been cleaned in a decade or so. Jen scoffed as she tossed her bag on the far bed, "I'd hate to run a black-light over this place."

Dean halfheartedly chuckled, "Just don't think about it."

"Uck."

"Well if we weren't chasing nothing we wouldn't have to be here." Sam mumbled under his breath. Dean swung around, "I'm telling you, there's something going on here. We just haven't found it yet."

"Dean, so far you've got a patch of dead grass and nothing."

Dean groaned, "Well, something turned that grave into unholy ground."

"There's no reason for it to be unholy ground. Angela Mason was a nice girl who died in a car crash. That's not exactly vengeful spirit material. You heard her father."

"Yeah, well, maybe Daddy doesn't know everything there is to know about his little angel, huh?"

Jen rolled her eyes and sat near the head of the bed. Sam started yelling, "You know what? We never should have bothered that poor man. We shouldn't even be here anymore."

Dean's voice raised higher, "So what, Sam? What, we just bail? Without even figuring out what's going on?"

Dean turned away, going through his bag. But Sam wasn't letting this one go, "I think I know what's going on here. It's the only reason I went along with you this far."

"What are you talking about?"

Sam spoke quietly, "This is about Mom's grave."

Dean scoffed, "That's got nothing to do with it."

"You wouldn't step within a hundred yards of it. Look. Maybe you're imagining a hunt where there isn't one so you don't have to think about Mom. Or Dad."

Dean turned with murder in his eyes. Jen jumped off the bed and got between them, pushing each of them back, "This is enough!"

They both looked down at her, surprised, "You two need to stop this shit. We work this like any other case. That means you two stow the shit until this is done. Once we know that no one is in danger you two can yell and fight all day long. Okay?"

Dean turned around and grabbed his jacket and the keys. He walked past Sam and Jen. Sam was the one to ask, "Dean, where're you going?"

"I'm going to go get a drink... Alone."

And with that he left Jen and his brother in the room, they kinda stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. Sam grabbed his laptop, Jen flipped on the TV. It was quiet except for the sitcom. After an hour or so, Sam slammed his laptop closed, "Why do you have to encourage him?"

Jen looked over, "What?"

"You know what he is like. Why won't you stand up to him?"

Jen scoffed, "Excuse you."

"I'm serious, Jen."

"Number one Sam, I don't do anything I don't want to do. Number two, there may be something here. I have never worked a case like this before, but unholy ground is pretty legit. Third I know when to pick my battles...I know there might be something here, there also may be nothing. It's our job to look into it. What do you have better to do?"

"The girl was squeaky clean."

"On the outside... People hide a lot of shit, even from those closest to them...Actually, especially to those closest to them… I think you and Dean know that better than anyone."

Sam refused to meet her eyes, "Don't know what you mean."

Jen rolled her eyes, "Uh-huh...Sure."

They blankly stared at the TV for a moment, "Why did you pick Stanford Sam?"

He turned, confused, "What?"

Jen shrugged, "It's called small talk...plus I'm curious."

He thought for a moment, caught off guard by her inquiry, "For me it was something different...A change of pace from hunting, living in the back of a car. It was the total opposite, rich kids who grew up in nice homes, people who didn't know how to hustle...Plus the full ride helped...Alright, why switch from MIT to Harvard?"

Jen smirked, "I was feeling a little uppity...Plus it was in my best interest, I could study lore without looking like a crazy person. MIT was always a little boring...And the full ride as well."

Sam paused, "MIT was boring?..You are a lot smarter than me and Dean give you credit for, aren't you?"

Jen chuckled, "Nah...just another knuckle dragger."

"Seriously Jen… How smart are you really?"

She just shrugged, "It really doesn't matter Sam."

"Well now I'm curious...I though we were making small talk."

"What do you want? IQ, ACT, SAT?"

He laughed, "All of the above."

Jen got up and grabbed a beer from the six-pack she had bought earlier, spoke quietly, "SAT was 2350. I fucked up on the ACT and scored one off perfect. My IQ is well above genius…"

She turned back to him, "And now you are going to look at me like I'm a freak, just like everyone else always has...Don't tell Dean, please."

"Why?"

Jen scoffed, feeling the well-known frustration build up in her chest, "Because people expect you to act a certain way, talk a certain way. It turns you into a circus freak. It pisses me off. I'm not like that….I am _not_ that."

Sam spoke softly, "I don't think Dean would ever ask you to change who you are."

Jen was sullen, "I know that... I just hate it."

"Having a talent is nothing to be ashamed of."

Jen didn't answer. Sam watched her for a moment, then continued, "You play dumb a lot, don't you?"

She sat back down, eyes down cast, "No, I really don't. My personality doesn't fit what a typical person like that. I'm not a nerdy person that sits behind a computer all day. I like to work with my hands, I love hunting. I like being a knuckle dragger. I like just being, well, me... I guess with all this other guardian bullshit, it makes more sense than it ever did. "

Sam thought for a moment, "You didn't fit in there...I won't say anything, I promise."

"Thanks...Would you go back?"

Sam nodded, "Yes...If it was a possibility."

After a little bit Sam spoke softly, "Jen?"

"Hmm?"

"You know Dean is...Is having trouble, right?"

Jen hesitated, reluctant to talk about this with Sam, "I know."

"Does he talk to you about it?"

"Sometimes...kinda. Differently than most people I guess." she shrugged.

"What do you mean?"

Jen picked at the comforter, "I guess...I don't know. He has mentioned a few things. Dean isn't the most verbose man ever, so I don't push him."

"He is getting sorta messed up with this stuff."

Jen nodded, messed up wasn't the phrase she would have used. Dean would zone out sometimes and she could see him going to a darker place. She decided against telling Sam that and opted to suppress his worries, "He is distant-ish, I notice sometimes when we are... spending time together. But I mean, brooding is a good chunk of his personality so..."

"I guess you're right…What's going on with you two anyway?"

Jen glanced over and raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Not to be the overprotective brother but what are you doing?"

"I don't know...I care about him, Sam. A lot. I'm not planning on packing a bag and hitting the road, if that's what you're asking."

"Good...I _guess _I don't mind having you around...Plus, I don't think Dean can live through losing another person."

They made small talk for a really long time, until Jen glanced over to the clock. It was almost one "Shit...How drunk do you think he is gonna get? He has to drive back."

Sam sighed, "Depends on how pissed he is. You are thinking that we should go find him."

Jen nodded, "We are going to have to jack a car."

Sam rolled his eyes, "He hasn't called."

Jen stared him down, Sam rolled his eyes, "Fine."

"You got a slim jim with you?"

Sam shuffled through his bag, tossing her the thin piece of metal, "Here."

She smiled triumphantly and walked out the door. She picked an older Ford and snapped the lock up, sliding in. Pulling out the lower panel, Jen hot-wired the car and drove off. Once in town her and Sam split up the bars. For a small college town, it was jam packed. She weaved in and out of parking lots, but it didn't take her long to spot the Impala. Jen walked into the bar, it definitely wasn't the one that she normally would have picked. It was clean, for one, and the inside was packed full of college students doing shots instead of the normal backwoods scene.

* * *

I saw him at the bar talking to a girl about my age, brunette, wavy hair. I couldn't ignore the twange of jealousy in my gut. He was drunk, swaying back and forth, laughing. I watched for a moment, he held up a finger and disappeared to the back, probably to hit the head. I walked to where he had been standing, the girl glanced at me, "There is someone sitting there."

I scoffed and looked over at her, she was tall, slim, wearing a halter top and a jacket. Her make-up looked like it was straight out of a magazine, and the little green monster came back, "Not any more barbie-doll."

"Excuse me?"

"Get lost. I will settle your tab, just go away."

"Listen bitch...Fuck off."

"Jen? W-hat are youuu doing here?" Dean's voice slurred behind me, he was surprised. I had never seen him this drunk. I tried to remain calm. The girl behind me started laughing, "This is Jen? This is the girl that has you so twisted up? Ha….I could do things she couldn't even dre-."

I lost it, my temper flared. I couldn't handle this right now. I reached around, grabbing her elbow, slamming her head against the bar. Chicken-wining her, "I don't have time for this shit."

"Jesus." Dean jumped back.

A baseball bat hit the bar directly in front of my face, the bartender stared me down, "You and your friends can go miss."

I put my hands up, releasing her, "I don't want any trouble."

I grabbed Dean's wrist and drug him behind me to the ally. Once outside his free hand traveled up my hip. I slammed him against the wall, "No."

"What's-ss wrong?" I couldn't contain my temper I didn't know why I was so goddamn pissed. He hadn't done anything wrong, technically. He tried to reach out and touch me again. I smacked his hand away, "We are going back to the hotel."

He smirked, "O-kay. Do-kay."

I rolled my eyes and walked off. He staggered behind me, then I heard the crash of trash cans. Dean was laying in a pile of trash bags, laughing maniacally. Rolling my eyes, I hauled him to his feet, supporting his weight on my shoulders. We approached the Impala and I leaned him up against it, rummaging through his pockets for the keys, "Whoa...Ea-sy there."

"Shut-up!" I snapped, finding the ring of keys, opening the back door and stuffing him in. I flipped open my phone, dialing Sam.

"_Did you find him?"_

"Yeah...He is really fucked up...I got the car. I will meet you back at the hotel I guess. We might be in for a hell of a night."

The line went dead and I pulled the Impala out, the radio was blasting..._What the fuck?_ It was a top forty station. I went to turn down the Pussycat Dolls but, Dean was singing loudly from the back seat,

"…Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?..."

He kept yelling more than singing. I just rubbed my temples and drove as fast as I could, embarrassed for him. I pulled into the hotel and drug him out of the car and into the room. Sam was already here, and now Dean was singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight, for god knows what reason. Sam started laughing, "How much did he have?"

I set him down on the bed, "Enough...Dean, take your jacket off."

He took it off and Sam helped me get his boots and jeans off. Dean was snoring before we threw a sheet over him.

"You okay Jen?" Sam asked. I nodded and flipped off the bedside light.

* * *

Dean woke up to the bright light coming through the curtain. His head was pounding and he was freezing. It took him a moment to realize why...He reached over and Jen wasn't right beside him. He couldn't believe how royally he had fucked up last night and well, been fucked up. He peaked out with one eye, Sam's bed was made neatly and there was a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on the table. It felt like knives were stabbing through his temple as he glanced the other way. Jen was curled up on the far edge of the bed, wrapped in the comforter. As far away from him as she could possibly be. She was pissed.

Dean reached over and rubbed her shoulder, she jerked away. Dean hadn't realized she was awake,

"Jen?" He whispered. She just pulled the comforter closer around herself, ignoring him.

"Please, look at me." Jen still didn't respond.

"I'm sorry." He pleaded and Jen flipped over, eyes blazing.

"That's not going to cut it." She snapped.

Dean groaned, "Volume, please?"

Jen sat up, voice raising, "Oh, you don't want me to yell? How about I don't need to go looking for you in the middle of the night."

He winced at her tone and her words. God was she pissed, "Jen, I…"

"I was fucking worried...And then I find you talking to…"

Dean reached to touch her hand but she curled up, "Babe...I was just talking and drinking. That's it."

Jen's face fell, "About me."

"About stuff...I needed to vent."

Jen looked like he had just hit her, and she couldn't recover, her voice was barely audible, "Why couldn't you talk to me?"

"Jen? Are you jealous?"

She scoffed and Dean kept talking, "How the hell am I supposed to talk about you to you? Or Sam to Sam? It doesn't work like that. You have me so freaking twisted up sometimes...And Sam? Sam won't let me do anything without saying it is because of my the way I'm feeling about dad. I was just bullshitting. That's it."

Jen went to get out of the bed. Dean grabbed her hand and pulled her back into bed, against his chest. All his muscles hurt, but he held her firmly, "Please forgive me."

Jen didn't respond, just laid there in his arms. Dean chuckled, "You were worried about me?"

She grunted, the anger starting to fade away. Jen huffed. Dean nuzzled her hair, "Are we fighting?"

"We fight a lot."

"About hunting, but that's different…"

Jen bit her lip, "I don't know...You could have been hurt. You didn't have a ride back and...And I don't know."

Dean cupped her chin so he could look into her eyes, "Being serious...Were you jealous?"

Jen blushed, "Yes...I know you wouldn't do anything. I don't want to be. I trust you...But...But."

Dean kissed her forehead, "I know. It's the same way I feel when I catch a guy checking you out."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You shouldn't be though...So am I forgiven?"

Jen smirked, "For now."

She closed her eyes and thought about last night's ride back, "So? Top forty? Pussycat Dolls?"

"Shut-up"

"You have quite the vocal range." She teased.

"Quiet." He squeezed her as tight as he could.

He chuckled, "So...you wanna go get some actual work done?"

* * *

I leaned against the wall as Dean kneeled, trying to pick the lock, "Having trouble there, hot shot?"

Dean bitch faced me and I smiled. He went back to work and the lock clicked, "Yahtzee."

I shook my head and followed him in. It was definitely a young woman's apartment. Everything was decorated in pastels, textbook littered the tops of any flat surface. Dean picked up a framed picture and showed it to me. It was Angela standing with another girl about her age with black hair and a soft face. A door opened behind us, "Who the hell are you?"

I turned in time to see the girl from the photo in a robe run back into the bathroom and slam the door. Dean grabbed for the door, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on!"

"I'm calling 9-1-1!" She yelled from the other side of the door.

Dean banged on the door, "I'm Angela's cousin!"

I raised my eyebrow, Dean shrugged. A tentative, timid voice responded, "What?"

Dean bit the inside of his cheek, "Yeah, her dad sent me over to, uh, pick up some of her stuff, my name's Alan? Alan Stanwick?"

After a moment the door cracked, "Her dad didn't say that you were coming."

Dean held up his set of keys, "Well, I mean. How else would I the key to your place?"

He laughed, trying to reassure her. I had to give it to him...smooth transition. She glanced at me, Dean scooted over, gesturing at me, "Oh...This is my girlfriend Annie."

"I'm Lindsey...Give me a second to get dressed."

She disappeared into a back room and I sighed with relief, "That could have gone a lot worse. Not bad."

Dean winked, "Freaking Jedi master."

I chuckled and Lindsey came back out, "You guys can sit down."

I nodded, Dean smiled awkwardly and we sat down. Almost immediately she started crying, Dean handed her a Kleenex from the table. Now she was sobbing, he glanced at me uncomfortably. I shrugged and Dean cleared his throat, "So. I'm sure you got a, a view of Angela that none of the family got to see. Tell me, what, what was she like? I mean, what was she really like?"

She sniffled, "She was great...Just great. I mean, she was so... so…"

Dean pressed his lips together, "Great."

"Yeah. Yeah." She was sobbing again.

I had to suppress a laugh as Dean handed her another tissue, "Here you go. You two must have been really close, huh?"

She nodded, "We were. But it's not just her, it's Matt."

I snapped around, "Who?"

Lindsey looked over at me, "Angela's boyfriend."

Dean nodded slowly, "Right, Matt. What about him?"

"He killed himself last night. He cut his own throat. Who does that?" Her voice kept jumping octaves.

"That's awful." I tried to look at her reassuringly.

She nodded, "He was taking Angela's death pretty hard, and I guess... I mean, he'd been messed up about it for days."

Dean jumped on the lead he saw, "Messed up how?"

"He kept saying that he saw her everywhere."

I shot Dean a knowing look, but addressed Lindsey, "I'm sure that's completely normal. Especially with everything he was going through."

"No, he said that he_ SAW_ her. As in, an acid trip or something." She spoke quickly and frantically.

Dean pushed the tissue box towards her, "Were Angela and Matt a happy couple? I mean, is there any reason that Angela would be angry with him?"

She looked shocked, "What? No, of course not, why do you ask?"

She was definitely hiding something. Dean and me shared a quick glance, but he shrugged, "Just asking. Where did Matt live?"

She reached for a pad on the table and wrote an address down. I picked it up, "Thank you."

* * *

I was driving the Impala back to the hotel. Had to give it to Dean, something was definitely going on. Matt's house had been a disaster zone. Cops were wrong, no way it was a suicide. Dean was fiddling with the radio stations, one landed in the start of FOB, _Dance Dance_. I smacked his hand away, he stared me down, "No way."

I scoffed, "Yeah way. I had to listen to your drunk ass sing, you can deal with this for the three minutes it will take to get back to the hotel."

He crossed his arms the rest of the way, resigned to the fact that I won this one. Smiling, triumphant, I parked in front of the room. Dean unlocked the door quickly, and swung it inward. Sam was sitting on the edge of the bed, jumping around trying to get the TV off, but I heard the title, "_Next, on the Skin channel, Casa Erotica Four. A tale of two Latin beauties _…"

Finally he was able to turn it off and he sat there startled, "Hey guys."

Me and Dean shared a glance, I was struggling not to laugh. Dean looked between the TV and his brother, "Awkward."

Sam let out an uncomfortable grunt, "Where in the hell were you?"

I shut the door. Dean went over to his bed and pulled his coat off, "Working my imaginary case."

Sam sat up a little straighter, "Yeah? And?"

"Well, you were right, we didn't find much…"

Sam sympathetically nodded. But I knew Dean was setting him up, "Yeah. Except Angela's boyfriend died last night. Slit his own throat. But, you know, that's normal. Uh, let's see, what else. Oh, he was seeing Angela everywhere before he died. But you know, I'm sure that's just me transferring my own feelings."

I jumped in, "Oh and all the plants...Well the weed that he was growing was all dead. Rotten. His goldfish was dead too."

Sam raised his hand in defeat, "Okay, I get it. I'm sorry, maybe there is something going on here."

Dean was harsh, "Maybe? Sam, I know how to do my job, despite what you might think."

Sam nodded, accepting the situation, "So, unholy ground?"

Dean shrugged, "Maybe. I'm still not getting that powerful angry spirit vibe from Angela...I have been reading this though."

"You stole her diary?" Sam was appalled.

"Technically Jen stole it." Dean looked over to me, and winked. I returned a proud smile, "Dean was reading it out loud in the car. This girl is ridiculous...too nice and way boring. Gives a new definition to '_quiet life_'."

Sam looked at Dean, "What do you want to do?"

Dean shrugged, "Keep digging, talk to more of her friends."

"You get any names?" Sam reached for his shoes. Dean smiled, holding up the diary, "Are you kidding me? I have her bestest friend in the whole wide world."

* * *

I knocked on the door of Neil's home. He was supposedly Angela's best friend, "What's our cover?"

"Don't know yet...we still have a couple of...Hello…" A scrawny guy with black hair and tired eyes opened the door. Dean kept talking, "...We are grief counselors from the school."

It was all I could do to not roll my eyes. _Grief counselors_? That was a new one. Neil looked between the three of us, "I didn't realize the college employed grief counselors."

Dean wiggled uncomfortably, "Oh yeah. Yeah, you talk, we listen. Or maybe throw in a little therapeutic collage, whatever jump-starts the healing."

"Well, I think I'm okay. Thanks."

He went to close the door but I stopped it, "You heard what happened to Matt Harrison?"

Neil paused, eyes shifting, "Yeah...yeah I did."

"Oh...You know, grief can make people do crazy stuff."

Neil tried to close the door again, but I held it firmly. His voice raised, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to him. I am. But if Matt killed himself it wasn't 'cause of grief."

"No? Then why?" Dean asked.

Neil shook his head, "It was guilt. Angie's death was Matt's fault and he knew it."

Sam jumped in, "How was Matt responsible?"

Neil gave up trying to push the door shut, "Well, she really loved that guy. But the night of the accident she walked in on him with another girl...She was really torn up, that's why she crashed the car. Um, look, I gotta get ready for work, so ... thanks for the concern, but... seriously, I'll be okay."

"Ok...Thanks for your time." I smiled but as I turned I shot Dean and Sam a look. The kid was definitely a few bricks short of a load. We walked down onto the street before Dean started talking, "Well, that vengeful spirit theory's starting to make a little more sense. I mean, hell hath no fury…"

"So if Angela got her revenge on Matt, you think it's over?"

I sighed, "When is it ever over?"

Dean unlocked the car, "Well, there's one way to be sure."

* * *

It was dark and drizzling when we walked into the cemetery that night. I was freezing, the water had already soaked through my hoodie. Sam was jawing, "You two are insane."

I turned and walked backwards, "Why?"

"She died last week."

Dean scoffed, "So?"

Sam laughed, "Are you high?..There's not gonna be bones. There's gonna be a ripe, rotting body in the coffin."

I chuckled, "Good...It's been like a week since we played 'who will upchuck first'."

Dean playfully punched his brother, "Since when are you afraid to get dirty? Huh?"

Two hours later I was sweating my ass off but soaked to the bone. Holding a flashlight so they could see. Dean was stripped down to a t-shirt, Sam and him still down in the hole, clearing the last of the dirt off the top of the coffin. Dean grabbed Sam's shovel, "Ladies first."

Sam rolled his eyes as Dean jumped out next to me, Sam grunted, "You two owe me"

He grunted as he lifted the lid, holding his breath. I moved the light to the interior: it was totally empty. "What the fuck?"

Sam looks up, "Well Dean...Something is definitely going on."

I hopped down, Dean was still in shock, "The buried the body four friggin days ago."

"Hey guys?" On the inside of the lid there was something carved. I ripped the rest of the fabric off, taking a picture with my phone. "Look at this."

Dean snapped his fingers together, "I've seen those before...Let's go."

He reached down and pulled me out, Sam jumped out behind me. We jogged to the car, all piling in. Dean put the heat on high and pulled out, "They were on the book in Dr. Mason's office."

"So is that our next stop?" I asked.

"Yes."

"No!" Sam jumped in, "It is the middle of the night! We are not bothering that poor man until the morning or until we know what those symbols actually are."

Dean huffed, "She is dropping people!"

"She only dropped one that cheated on her...Let's go back to the motel" Sam was stern. Dean grumbled, knowing that he was right. I shivered in the back seat, holding my arms tightly around myself, "Dean? Can you turn up the heat?"

"Sorry...It is as high as it goes. We will be back in like five minutes."

When Dean parked the car, I practically sprinted inside. I needed to get into some dry clothes. Shivering uncontrollably I dug through my bag, slipping my bra off under my shirt and it was dripping on the floor. Grabbing dry sweats, I turned for the bathroom, running into Dean who was standing with his jaw dropped.

"What?"

Dean just stared at me, Sam laughed, "I think you shorted out his brain."

"Why?"

Dean stuttered, "Ho-How the hell do you do that?"

"You just do…Why is it a big deal? " I rolled my eyes.

"Because it is hot as hell."

I snorted, "You cannot be serious...You horny little perv."

"Yeah I'm freaking serious."

I looked past him at Sam who shrugged, "It's kinda hot when girls do that...It's kinda like all girls have a thing for how guys reach over their heads and take shirts off"

I shook my head in disbelief, "What is wrong with guys?"

After we all had dry clothes on, me and Sam were trying to translate the symbols. I was still cold, Dean was wrapped around me, trying to warm me up as I scanned websites on my laptop. He rested his head on my shoulder, reading as well, "That's the symbol...Isn't it?"

I shook my head, "That's an epsilon...the one on the lid was a little different"

"Alright then...nerd" I elbowed him, and he squeezed me tighter, burying his face in my neck, making it difficult to concentrate. Sam cleared his throat, "If you two can keep your hands off each other for five minutes, I might have something."

Dean defiantly pulled me closer, I giggled and Sam sighed, aspirated, "Anyways...How do you feel about reanimation?"

"Necromancy?" I asked, "That's pretty dark shit."

"Are you talking about zombies?" Dean asked, the excitement in his voice palatable.

I chuckled, "Yeah...That's really black magic though. Someone is working some serious spell-work."

"Well…" Dean raised an eyebrow, his voice harsh "Who do we know that would know about ancient Greek spells and would have a reason to bring Angela back?"

* * *

Dean was even more agitated when they were standing outside Dr. Mason's home the next morning. His anger had grown overnight and now he was pounding on the door.

"Dean. Take it easy, okay?" Sam warned quietly.

Dr. Mason swung the door open, clearly surprised to see the three of them, "You're Angie's friends, right?"

Sam gently began, clearly trying to keep the situation under control, "Dr. Mason…"

"We need to talk...Now!" Dean spoke harshly.

Dr Mason was confused but opened the door wider, "Well, then, come in."

Sam thanked him and entered first. Jen grabbed Dean's arm, whispering, "Don't convict the guy before we know what's going on."

Dean scoffed, ignoring her, "You teach Ancient Greek. Tell me, what are these?"

He unfolded the paper that they had been working on last night, holding up for the professor to see. Dr. Mason stuttered, shocked, "I don't understand. You said this had something to do with Angela."

"Humor me." Dean growled.

"They're part of an ancient Greek divination ritual."

Dean shook his head, disgusted, "Used for necromancy, right?"

The professor nodded, hesitant, "That's right."

Dean continued, "See we did a little homework of our own last night. Apparently they used rituals like this one for communicating with the dead. Even bringing corpses back to life. Full-on zombie action."

The professor was clearly lost now, "Yes. I mean, according to the legends. Now, what's all this about?"

Sam and Jen shared a look. Dr. Mason wasn't acting nervous, wasn't giving any clear signs that he knew what was going on. They were having their doubts. Dean, however, wasn't, "I think you know."

"Dean?" Sam tried to call his brother off. Dean approached the professor menacingly, "Look, I get it. Okay? There are people that I would give anything to see again. But what gives you the right?

Dr. Mason backed away, knocking over a potted fern, "What are you talking about?"

Jen realized their mistake instantly but Dean was yelling now, "What's dead should stay dead!"

"What?!"

"Dean! Stop!." Jen grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him off the offensive. Dean shrugged her off, "What you brought back isn't even your daughter anymore. These things are vicious, they're violent, they're so nasty they rot the ground around them. I mean, come on, haven't you seen Pet Cemetery?"

Dr. Mason stared at him, mouth agape, "You're insane. Get out of my house!"

Dean grabbed the collar of his shirt, "Where is she? Where are you hiding her?!"

Jen and Sam both rushed Dean, pulling him away, "That's enough!"

Jen shoved his face towards the fallen pot, "Look Dean. The plants are green. She can't be here...You saw Matt's place."

"You people are insane! I'm calling the police!"

Dean pulled out of their grip, storming out of the door, striding down the steps. Sam and Jen on his heels.

Sam turned Dean around to face him, "What the hell is the matter with you, Dean?"

"Back off." Dean growled.

"That man is innocent! He didn't deserve that!"

"Okay, so she's not here, maybe he's keeping her somewhere else."

Jen was torn, listening to them argue. The professor's reaction seemed genuine but there was a homicidal zombie running around town. It was becoming more probable that he had absolutely nothing to do with this. More than anything, she wanted them to stop fighting. She wanted Sam to buck up and Dean to get out of this dark place he kept going to.

"...No, you don't. At all. Dean, I don't scare easy, but man, you're scaring the crap out of me."

"You're lucky this turned out to be a real case. Because if it wasn't you would have just found something else to kill."

Dean huffed, turned and started to walk away, Jen hung back, Sam stayed with it, yelling now, "...You're on edge, you're erratic, except for when you're hunting, because then you're downright scary. You're tailspinning, man. And you refuse to talk about it and you won't let me, or even Jen, help you."

Sam was right. Even though Jen and Dean had become infinitely closer since John's death, there were only little snippets of time when Dean showed her how he was actually feeling. Usually it was late, when they were locked in each other's arms. When he showed her how desperate he was, how he was white-knuckling it through.

Dean rolled his eyes, "I can take care of myself, thanks."

"No, you can't. And you know what? You're the only one who thinks you should have to. You don't have to handle this on your own, Dean, no one can."

Dean talked over his brother, "Sam, if you bring up Dad's death one more time I swear…"

"Stop. Please, Dean, it's killing you. Please. We've already lost Dad. We've lost Mom. I've lost Jessica. And now I'm going to lose you too?"

Dean opened the door of the Impala, "We better get out of here before the cops come."

Sam huffed, frowning deeply. Dean sighed, "I hear you. Okay? Yeah, I'm being an ass. And I'm sorry. But right now we've got a friggin' zombie running around, and we need to figure out how to kill it….Right?"

Sam laughed, "Our lives are weird, man."

A small smile crossed Dean's face, "You're telling me? Come on...Jen, you comin' or what?"

She snapped out of her thoughts, "Oh yeah...Yeah. Let's go"

Dean watched her for a moment, she seemed a little out of it, but he opted not to ask right now.

* * *

"Can we just shoot it in the head?" I asked, hopeful.

Sam shuffled some papers around on the table, "No."

Dean stopped mid pace, "We can't just waste it with a head shot?"

Sam chuckled, "Dude. You two should have skipped the Romero marathon last week."

I furrowed my brow, feeling the oncoming headache and eye burn that came from hours of research, "So there is no lore on how to get rid of the bitch?"

Sam slammed a book shut, "No, Jen, I'm telling you there's too much. I mean, there's a hundred different legends on the walking dead, but they all have different methods for killing them...Here."

He tossed a notepad that he had scribbled on at me. It was a running list of every method he had found so far, "Some say setting them on fire, uh, one said, what was it?...Oh, right... Feeding their hearts to wild dogs. That's my personal favorite. I mean, who knows what's real and what's myth?"

Dean yanked the notepad from my hands, "Is there anything they all have in common?"

"No." Sam threw up his hands.

I cleared my throat, "Well from the quick glance I got at the list…" Dean winked at me and I rolled my eyes in response, "...silver was on there a few times."

Sam shrugged, "It might work."

"Silver's a start." Dean's voice was hopeful.

"Yeah, alright. But now how are we going to find Angela?" Sam asked.

I thought for a moment, well, "We could always ask the person that brought her back."

Sam scoffed, "Thank you captain, but we have no idea who that person is."

Dean snapped his fingers, going to the dresser and pushing stuff aside, "If it wasn't her dad it might be that guy. Umm...Neil?...Where the hell is it?...Gotcha."

"Neil? He doesn't strike me as a master of the dark arts...How did you come up with that?" Sam replied.

Dean held up what he had been looking for, Angela's pink diary, "Well, you've got your journal, I've got mine…'_Neil's a real shoulder to cry on, he so understands what I'm going through with Matt_.'...There's more in here where that came from. It's got unrequited ducky love written all over it."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he brought her back from the dead." Sam was skeptical.

I grinned, digging through papers next to me, finding the school records, "Says here he is Dr. Mason's teaching assistant. He would have access to all those books...Do you really think?"

Dean nodded, "Yep, I really think."

I mulled it over for a minute, "So what? We just go in? Guns blazing?"

Dean winked at me, "That's normally our style."

* * *

After a couple of knocks I had given up and picked the lock, swinging the front door open for us to walk in. It was dark and quiet. Dean called out, "Hello? Neil?! It's your grief counselors... we've come to...uh... hug."

I suppressed a laugh as he pulled out a gun, handing me and Sam each a clip as well.

"Silver bullets?" Sam asked.

Dean locked his clip in place, chambering a round, "Yeah, enough to make her rattle like a change purse."

I flipped on my flashlight and scanned around. We split up, as their footsteps moved farther away, I made my way up the stairs. There were dead plants everywhere, and it _smelled_. Everything smelt like old lady and dirt. A low whistle rang through the house. I made my way back down the stairs, Dean was around the corner, shining a light on a door that was bolted from the outside. Dean tried the handle but it wouldn't turn. Sam's voice behind me made me jump, "You think?"

Dean shrugged, unbolting it and breaking the lock, "Unless it's where he keeps his porn…"

He swung it and I bolted down the stairs first, staying low, praying that nothing would grab my legs. I scanned quickly with the light, checking the corners, "I think it is empty."

A bright light flipped on as the boys tromped down the stairs. The smell was even more pungent down here. Dean put his gun in his pants, "Sure looks like a zombie pen to me."

I nodded, "Yeah, but empty...Do you guys smell that?"

Dean laughed, walking slowly, looking, "Yeah. It smells like rotting ass...Makes sense. Technically she is dead."

I nodded, "So she should be rotting."

Sam was checking the barred window, "Do you think Angela went after somebody?"

I came to a large vent, pulling on the corner it popped loose. Shit. Dean kneeled beside me, shining the flashlight inside, "Nah, I think she went out to rent Beaches."

"Look, smartass, she might kill someone. We gotta find her." Sam was agitated. Dean stood upright, thinking, "Yeah. All right. She, uh, she clipped Matt because he was cheating, right?"

Sam nodded, and I saw where he was going, "I guess it takes two to..uh.."

"Have hardcore sex." Dean cut me off.

I laughed uncomfortably, "I was going to say tango, but yours works too."

"Prude...Didn't it seem like Angela's roommate was broken up over Matt's death. I mean, like, really broken up?"

It clicked into place, "Why is it always the roommate and the creepy stalker nerd that are the problems?...We need to get there. Now."

We ran out and piled into the car. Dean gunned the engine and raced the Impala down the road,pushing the speedometer to the max. As he put it in park Sam and I were already out and sprinting for the apartment building's door. Slinging the door open Dean and Sam ran past, and barreled down the hall. I could hear screaming on the other side of the door. Sam slammed his shoulder against it and the hinges buckled. Angela was chasing Lindsey across the floor, scissors in hand. Blood seeped slowly from Angela's chest. Her face was pulled into a snarl, and skin was tinted grey. Angela stood up and ran at us as Dean pulled off three shots into her chest. She screamed and bolted, crashing through the back window. Dean took chase. Lindsey was still on the floor screaming incoherently, Sam ran over to her, helping her to her feet, "It is okay... I gotcha."

I glance at the window, worried. But Dean hops back through it, "Damn, that dead chick can run."

"What now?" Sam asked.

Dean sighed, obviously annoyed that Angela had gotten away, "I say we go have a little chat with Neil."

We walked back out, Dean tossed me the keys, "I gotta patch up my arm."

I shot him a concerned glance. I hadn't noticed that he was bleeding. He wrapped his other arm around my shoulder reassuringly, "I cut it on the glass, don't get all worried. I'm fine"

"Wouldn't dream of worrying about you," I drove the Impala towards the school, Dean was down to his t-shirt in the back, quick wrapping his arm. Sam flipped through his dad's journal in the dim light, "So the silver bullets, they did something, right?"

Dean tied the wrap, "Yeah, something, but not enough. She still could run like a mother fucker. What else you got?"

"Um, okay, besides silver, we have ... nailing the undead back into their grave beds. It's mentioned a few times. It's probably where the whole vampire staking lore came from."

I scoffed, "You can't be serious? What? We are gonna invite her for a tea party at her grave and shove her in?"

Sam shrugged, "We gotta get her there somehow."

* * *

When they started walking through the halls at the college, only one room had a dim light coming from under the door. Sam, Dean and Jen entered to see Neil sitting behind a desk, fidgeting nervously, "What are you guys doing here?"

Dean chuckled, "You know, I've heard of people doing some pretty desperate things to get laid, but you ...you take the cake. "

"Who the hell are you guys"

Jen half smiled, "Why don't you ask Angela. I'm sure she knows."

"What?" Neil stood up and tried to back away, but he had nowhere to go. Sam flanked him, "We know what you did. The ritual? Everything."

Neil scoffed, but his eyes shifted, "You're all crazy."

Dean shook his head, "Your girlfriend's past her expiration date and we're crazy? When someone's gone they should stay gone. You don't mess with that kind of stuff."

Jen wandered around the room, looking for signs, "You know that she slit Matt's throat...And she just tried to kill Lindsey with a pair of scissors? How long do you think it will be until she turns on you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Dean lost it, moving around the desk and pulling Neil up by his collar, "Hey! No more bullshit, Neil. His blood is on your hands. Now. We can make this right, but you've gotta tell us where she is. Tell us!"

Neil hesitated, "My house. She's at my house."

Dean let go of Neil and stood back. Jen cleared her throat and motioned towards the plants in the window. Every single one was dry and wilted. Dean stared down Neil, "You sure about that?"

Neil nodded but his eyes wandered around the room nervously, pausing on a closet in the far corner. Dean nodded and raised his voice, "Listen. It doesn't really matter where she is. There's only one way to stop her. We've got to perform another ritual over her grave, to reverse the one that you did. We're going to need some black root, some, some scar weed, some candles... It's very complicated, but it'll get the job done. She'll be dead again in a couple hours. I think you should come with us."

Neil shook his head, "I'm serious, Neil. Leave with us. Right now."

"No." Neil spoke firmly. Dean leaned close, barely audible, " Listen to me. Get out of here as soon as you can. But most of all, be cool. No sudden movements. Don't make her mad."

Dean looked at Jen and Sam, "Let's get outta here."

* * *

Jen lit a candle, setting it next to Angel's grave, "Do you actually think this bullshit is going to work?"

"No. Not really. It was all I could come up with though...Can I have that lighter?" Dean reached towards Jen, "I'm hoping she is stupid and desperate enough."

Dean continued lighting candles, setting them around the grave. Sam stood nearby, scanning the woods and the cemetery, gun in hand, "I definitely think it is crazy enough to work."

A twig snapped and three heads jerked around towards the noise. Sam glanced at the other two and nodded, stalking in the direction that it had come from. Jen watched until he was out of sight and then disappeared into the treeline, where she could see everything in the open clearly, including Dean going to stand behind a tree.

In the woods Sam froze at a rustle of leaves. He paused, turning quickly, gun drawn. Angela stops mid step, putting her hands up, "Wait! It's not what you think. I didn't ask to be brought back. But it's still me. I'm still a person...Please."

Sam wasn't going to wait. He fired off a shot, hitting her square between the eyes. She stared him down, screaming in anger.

"Shit." Sam turned and ran for the grave. He made it out of the woods, scrambling. Jen watched her stride after him, catching up quickly and tackling him. Angela was twisting his arms, trying to get to his head to snap his neck. Jen bolted out of the treeline, pausing to fire off a clip into Angela. Angela stood up, growling like an animal, turning towards Jen, "Oh, shit… Dean!"

"Hey!" Dean came out, firing into Angela's chest. She backed up from the impact, falling backwards into her grave. Dean sprinted across the open grass, pulling out a long stake, sliding the last few feet into the grave. He buried the stake into her chest.

"Wait, don't…" She begged.

Dean pushed it all the way through, into the bottom of the coffin. He sat up, panting as her body went limp and her head rolled, "What's dead should stay dead."

When he turned to jump out, Jen and Sam were there watching. Sam was holding his one arm awkwardly, and Jen extended a hand to help him out. Dean jumped, grabbing it, allowing her to haul him the last little bit. She smiled up at him, "You ready to bury this bitch?"

It took them most of the night to bury Angela and clean up the stuff from the fake ritual. Dean patted down the last of the dirt from the grave. Sam grabbed the duffle bag, "Rest in peace."

Dean turned away, "Yeah. For good this time, okay?"

Jen stretched, grabbing the shovels and heading for the car. She opened the trunk and threw them in. Sam turned to Dean, "You know, that whole fake ritual thing, luring Angela into the cemetery? Pretty sharp."

Dean smiled, "Thanks."

"But did we have to use me as bait?"

Dean chuckled, "I figured you were more her type. You know, she had pretty crappy taste in guys."

"I think she broke my hand." Sam held it up. Jen laughed, "I think maybe you're just getting a little soft."

Dean grinned, "Just get in the car, have Jen look at it for now. We can have a real doc look at it later."

He paused for a moment, looking back at his mother's grave. Sam saw, "You want to stay for a while?"

"No...Let's go."

They all got in. Sam held his hand over the backseat, cringing as Jen checked it out, "Dammit Jen. That hurts!"

"Stop being a baby. Dean there isn't anything I can do. She broke it, he is going to need it set and casted."

"Okay."

"Good…" Sam pulled his hand into his lap, "I didn't want Kevorkian back there patching me up anyway."

Jen chuckled, "I'm not that bad."

"You're a freaking butcher." Sam said. Dean laughed, "You kinda are, Jen."

"Well fine then. I will just let you two bleed out next time you need stitched up.. No sweat off my back."

They all laughed. Dean pulled through a drive though in town, getting them greasy breakfast sandwiches and her sped out of town.

"Where we goin'?" Jen asked.

Dean bit the inside of his cheek, shrugging, "I don't know yet. Wherever we end up sounds good to me."

* * *

We had been driving for awhile, it was mid-afternoon now. We had stopped at the doctor's, Sam's hand had been broken. It was casted now. All the windows were down, and nobody had spoken for a long time. I watched Dean periodically, he kept clenching and unclenching his jaw. Scowling. Sam shot him concerned glances but never said anything. Suddenly, Dean pulled the wheel sharply for the shoulder, "Fuck it."

He got outta the car and sat on the hood. Sam looked at me and I shrugged, we got out. Sam sat close to Dean, shoulder to shoulder. I perched farther up, by the windshield. It was silent. I stared off into space until Sam quietly asked, "Dean? What is it?"

"I'm sorry."

Sam shook his head, "For what?"

"The way I've been acting... And for Dad. I mean, he was your dad too. And it's my fault that he's gone."

"What are you talking about?" Sam was confused. I knew exactly what Dean was talking about. I had been thinking it, hell, any hunter worth his salt could put it together. I watched Dean until he began to speak quietly, "I know you've been thinking it...so have I. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Back at the hospital, I made a full recovery. It was a miracle. And five minutes later Dad's dead and the Colt's gone."

"Dean…"

"No...You can't tell me there's not a connection there. I don't know how the demon was involved. I don't know how the whole thing went down exactly. But Dad's dead because of me. And that much I do know."

Sam shifted, "We don't know that. Not for sure."

"Sam …" Dean's voice cracked. I saw the tear slide down his cheek that he quickly brushed away. I reached over, placing my hand next to his, unsure.

"...You and Dad ... Now Jen...you're the most important people in my life. And now ... I never should've come back, Sam. It wasn't natural. And now look what's come of it. I was dead. And I should have stayed dead. You wanted to know how I was feeling. Well, that's it… So tell me. What could you possibly say to make that all right?"

Dean turned to look at Sam who looked away. Dean's fingers slid over mine and he squeezed my fingers tightly. I stared at my boots, letting him take his time. My stomach clenched. Dean was right, but I didn't care. The world was a better, safer place with him in it. At least it was for me.


	24. Simon Said

We all threw our shit on the beds and slumped down. We had just finished off the third vengeful spirit in a month and this one had been particularly nasty. I was bruised, pretty much from head to toe. More than anything, I just wanted to sleep. I don't think we had gotten four hours between us the last week. Dean grumbled next to me, "We will hit the road before dark."

I was lying opposite of him, head to foot, still in our jackets and boots. He grabbed me by my hips and pulled me up the bed, wrapping his arms so his head rested against my stomach. I curled up against his, passing out to his even breathing.

* * *

I woke up to Dean squeezing my thigh, "Time to get up sleepy."

"Then go ahead and get up." I grumbled.

"I can't when you have a death grip on my legs...You're like a freaking koala bear."

I groaned again, releasing my arms. I wiped my face and drying drool smeared on the back of my hand, "Oh yuck."

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, Babe, you were snoring pretty good."

I glanced down at the wet spot on his shirt, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine... Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't inhale it."

I looked over his leg at Sam on the near side of his bed, he was still breathing deeply. I sat up, Dean never took his hands off me, "You have time to get a shower if you want. I'm gonna let him sleep, you have plenty of time."

I winked, "Do I have time if you join me?"

"Is that a serious offer?" His eyes were wide.

I shook my head, pressing my lips tightly, "Nah. I need a half-decent shower, I stink."

"Well, hurry up. I need to get one too."

We ended up leaving a little after dark. Having slept most of the afternoon, I was sore but rested. I rode shotgun, Sam dozed in the back and Dean raced the car down the highway, driving nowhere in particular. Eventually we pulled off to a gas station, "Alrighty, take care of business. We are back on the road in five."

I got out and stretched, Sam beelined it for the bathroom. I stood next to Dean, "Where to?"

"I got no clue. But we had to ditch out before we ended up arrested."

"Yeah…"

He cupped my chin, thumb running over my cheek, "Do you wanna sleep for a little bit?"

I shook my head, "I'm fine."

"Yeah...You sure look it."

I scoffed, "Next time, your ass can get tossed into the wall by the crazy fucking ghost."

He chuckled, replacing the gas nozzle, then his tone turned serious, "Are you okay?"

"Yes...My back hurts a bit, but not any worse for the wear…Where the hell is Sam?"

Dean swung around, "Probably taking a dump. I will go tell him to get his ass in gear."

He walked away. I just leaned against the cool steel of the Impala, stretching my back. When I looked over again Dean was booking it across the parking lot, dragging Sam by his jacket. I pushed off the Impala, "What the hell is it?"

Sam hurried for the passenger door, Dean pointed at the back door, "Get in...we gotta go. Now. Sam will explain."

I jumped in and Dean gunned it, "Jen, you wanna grab Sam a water?"

I grabbed a bottle off the floor and handed it to Sam. He was pale and sweating, shaking and rubbing his head, "You had another vision, didn't you? It has been awhile."

Sam hadn't had one since...since before John died. So months. Sam took the bottle and started chugging, "Yeah… Dean, let's head for the Roadhouse."

"Are you freaking nuts?" Dean asked but he turned onto the highway at the next intersection, in general direction of Nebraska.

"No listen...I saw this Doctor...Jenkins?...No Jennings. He just hauled off and shot this guy in a gun store and then shot himself. It was a little after noon on the clock and there was this bus…"

He dug through the glove compartment, grabbing pen and paper and began to draw. It was a logo that I wasn't familiar with, "Are you sure that's it?"

Sam nodded.

The car passed the state-line just after midnight. The radio was blasting, Dean was still unsure, "I don't know, man, why don't we just chill out, think about this?"

Sam reached over and turned the knob, shutting the music off, "What's there to think about?"

"I just don't know if going to the Roadhouse is the smartest idea."

Sam sighed, "Dean, it's another premonition. I know it. This is gonna happen, and Ash can tell us where."

"Yeah, man, but…"

I cleared my throat, " I could always give it a shot. I can try to track down that logo and maybe the person."

Sam turned, "No offense Jen, but Ash is faster. I don't think we have the time, it could have some connection with the demon. My visions always do."

Dean turned to look at his brother, "That's my point. There's gonna be hunters there. I don't know if, if...if going in and announcing that you're some supernatural freak with a, a demonic connection is the best thing, okay?"

Sam raised his eyebrows, "So I'm a freak now?"

Dean slapped Sam on the thigh, "You've always been a freak."

Dean smiled weakly and turned back to the road. I sat back, resting my head, staring at the roof, listening to the miles of blacktop pass under the tires.

* * *

They entered the Roadhouse. It was pretty packed compared to the other times they had been here. A couple of guys cleaning their guns glanced their way. Dean stuck close to Jen, keeping his hand on the small of her back. Sam saw Jo and yelled, "Hey Jo!"

She walked over to them, smiling, "You guys just couldn't stay away could you?"

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, looks like. How you doin', Jo?"

"Where's Ash?" Sam asked hurriedly, foregoing typical greetings.

She pointed over her shoulder, "In his back room."

"Great." Sam shoved past her, Jo snorted, "And I'm fine by the way."

Dean shrugged, grabbing Jen's arm and walking past Jo, "Sorry, he's, we're... kind of on a bit of a timetable."

They waded through the throng of people, approaching a rough door with a sign hanging. It read _Dr. Badass Is: In_. Jen chuckled and pointed it out to Dean who laughed in response. Sam rapped on the door, "Ash? Hey, Ash?"

There was loud music playing from the other side. Dean knocked, "Hey...Dr. Badass?"

The door opened a crack, Ash was naked and the trio averted their eyes, "Sam? Dean? Jen? Sam and Dean and Jen."

Sam cleared his throat, "Hey Ash. Um. We need your help."

"Well, hell then. Guess I need my pants." He shut the door. Jen laughed, "He is crazier than a shit house rat."

Ash came back out with his laptop over a moment, walking to a table. He popped it open and Sam showed him the bus logo from his vision. Ash started typing quickly, raising an eyebrow, "Okay then?"

Jen walked over with a round of drinks sitting down, "Well whatcha got?"

Ash reached over and grabbed a beer, downing it in two big gulps, "Well, I got a match. It's the logo from the Blue Ridge bus lines in Guthrie, Oklahoma."

Sam nodded, "Okay. Do me a favor... check Guthrie for any demonic signs, or omens, or anything like that."

Ash sat back, frowning, "You think the demon's there?

"Yeah, maybe."

"Why would you think that?"

"Just check it, all right?" Dean snapped. Ash raised his eyebrows, confused from the hostility. But then he turns and keeps typing, "No, sir, nothing. No demon."

Sam sighed, running his hand through his hair, "All right, try something else for me. Search Guthrie for a house fire. It would be 1983, fire's origin would be a baby's nursery, night of the kid's six month birthday."

Ash was startled. Dean and Jen quickly checked for any eavesdroppers. No one was around but Jo, who was washing a table, watching them. Ash cleared his throat, "Okay, now that is just weird, man. Why the hell would I be looking for that?"

Sam smiled awkwardly, "Because there is a beer in it for you…"

"Give me fifteen minutes" He stood up quickly and disappeared into his room. The trio looked between each other until Jen shrugged and went to sit at the bar. She ordered two shots from Ellen and Dean sat down next to her, putting his foot on the rung of her stool, knee in between her legs so that she faced him, "You don't think anyone heard? Do you?"

Jen shook her head, savoring the burn of the whiskey, "No one was close enough...Except maybe Jo."

Dean nodded, "Good. People aren't gonna slow down and listen to reason."

"You mean hunters...Do you think everyone in here is one?"

"Yep. Everyone is edgy every time someone moves and no one is anywhere near a door or window." Dean's voice was low..

Sam sat down and Ellen came over, "How y'all doin'?"

Jen forced a smile, "Tired as hell...but other than that, great."

"How 'bout you boys?"

Dean held up his beer, "Doing good Ellen. You?"

"Not too bad myself. I'll get you guys another shot and then I gotta get back to work. We can catch up later."

Ellen poured them each a shot and walked away, serving some gruff older men at the other end of the bar. Suddenly, the opening notes of _Can't Fight This Feeling_ play on the jukebox. Jen slammed down her glass in surprise, "What the fuck is this?"

Jen and Dean glanced over to see Jo standing by the jukebox. She took an offensive stance, "What?"

Dean feigned horror, "REO Speedwagon?"

Jo came over and grabbed their empty glasses and bottles, "Damn right REO. Kevin Cronin sings it from the heart."

Dean laughed, "He sings it from the hair. There's a difference."

Jo moved around the bar, "And Jen? I thought you would like a little REO."

Jen shook her head, "Can handle a couple of their songs...This is not one of them."

Jo leaned over the counter and spoke so only they could hear, "That profile you've got Ash looking for?...Your mom died the same way, didn't she? A fire in Sam's nursery?"

Dean swallowed, "Look, Jo, it's kind of a family thing."

"I could help." Jo protested.

Jen shook her head, "No way in hell. This isn't amateur hour and I'm not a babysitter."

"Why not? I can hunt!"

Dean sighed, "No. We've got to handle this one ourselves. Besides,if I got you into this shit I think your mother might kill me."

Ellen looked over and he smiled nervously. Jo laughed, "You're afraid of my mother?"

Dean nodded, "I think so."

Ash came busting out of his room, tossing papers down on the bar, "Here you go...All the information you need. Now where's that beer?"

Jen chuckled and threw a twenty on the bar, "Have a couple Ash, but we gotta go."

"Party on compadres!"

* * *

Sam was shuffling papers in the front seat and passing some back to me. I held a flashlight in my mouth and scanned them quickly. Dean was jamming to the radio, air drumming and singing. I was able to ignore the commotion. Sam however couldn't concentrate, "Can you keep it down?"

"Its my car and I'm driving...I pick the music and you shut the hell up about it… Anyways, whaddya got?"

Sam shuffled through the papers he had left, "Andrew Gallagher. Born in eighty three, like me. Lost his mother in a nursery fire exactly six months later, also like me."

Dean turned the radio down, "You think the demon killed his mom?"

"Sure looks like it...Jen has the police reports…"

I went back a couple of pages, "Fire originated in the nursery, mother died, kid was totally fine. Fire marshal called it as faulty wiring."

Dean nodded, "Sam? How did you even know to look?"

Sam shrugged, "Every premonition I've had, if they're not about the demon they're about the other kids the demon visited. Like Max Miller, remember him?"

Dean had told me about Max. He was another psychic, telekinetic, that had gone on a murder spree. Sam had been having premonitions about the actions and had been pretty torn up about it after Max committed suicide. That had happened right before they had hooked up with me.

"Yeah, but Max Miller was a pasty little psycho." Dean said.

"The point is he was killing people. And I was having the same type of visions about him. And now it could be happening all over again with this Gallagher guy."

Dean nodded, "Okay. How do we find him?"

I looked through the papers, "Good luck. The guy has no address, no employment, no digital footprint. Owes money out the ass...On, well, everything."

"Collection agency flags?" Dean asked.

"Nope. Doesn't look like it, unless Sam has it up there."

"Nope."

Dean scoffed, skeptic, "They just let him take a walk?"

I shrugged, "Guess so...We could start at last known employment. It is a coffee shop from over a year ago…"

Dean nodded, "We should be in Guthrie a little before eight."

I yawned, "Can we stop for coffee soon?"

Dean turned, "Why don't you just sleep?"

"I got like six hours yesterday, that's a record...Plus you've had less sleep than me."

"I will pull off at the next truck stop."

"What the hell Dean?..." Sam teased his brother, "You'll pull over to let her get coffee but you make me piss in a bottle?"

"Shut up Sam." Dean turned the radio back up. As always, he wasn't great at the whole comeback thing. I cracked the window, breathing in the cool night air.

* * *

They were in the coffee shop that Gallagher had last worked at, dressed in suits. Eating breakfast when Sam had asked the waitress about him. Tracy poured more coffee in their cups, "You won't get anything out of Andy, guys. I'm sorry, but they never do."

She was a short blonde with a high pitched voice. Sam raised his eyebrows, "They?"

She laughed, "You're debt collectors, right? Once in awhile they come by. I don't know what Andy says to them, but they never come back."

Dean cleared his throat, "Actually we're, we're lawyers. Representing his Great Aunt… Um, Leta. She passed, God rest her soul, and left Andy a sizable estate."

Jen smiled, "Are you a friend of Andy's?"

"I used to be, yeah. I don't see much of Andy anymore."

A dishwasher came over, talking excitedly, standing too close, "Andy? Andy kicks ass, man."

Dean glanced at him, "That right?"

"Yeah. Andy can get you into anything. He even got me backstage at Aerosmith once, it was beautiful, bro."

Tracy shot him a nasty look, "How about bussing a table or two, Weber?"

"Oh, yeah, you bet boss." He scurried away. Tracy scribbled the total on their check, "Look, if you want to find him, try Orchard Street. Just look for a van with a barbarian queen painted on the side."

"Barbarian queen?" Dean asked.

"She's riding a polar bear. It's kind of hard to miss….I can take that whenever you're ready."

Jen scoffed, "The guy sounds like a stoner, not a mass murderer."

"We don't know that." Sam said. Dean shrugged, "Well, either way, we need to get moving."

They paid and left, looking for Orchard Street. Once they found it, the van definitely noticeable. A half naked queen rode a polar bear on the dark indigo van. After awhile Jen spotted him, "Hey guys...Second story, hanging out the window."

Andy was in a t-shirt and a blue robe, waving at a tall brunette on the street who was apparently thrilled to have spent the night with him. Andy looked like a typical stoner mixed with an IT guy. Messy black hair, hadn't shaved in awhile, short and twitchy. Dean laughed, "I'm sorry, I'm starting to like this dude. That van is sweet."

Jen shook her head, and joked, "You say that again and you will no longer have a girlfriend."

"The van or liking Andy?"

Jen chuckled, "That van, man. I think the Mystery Machine would be classier."

Sam was scowling, Dean saw it, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Sam, you look like you're sucking on a lemon, what's going on?"

Sam sighed, "This Andrew Gallagher, he's the second guy like this we've found, Dean. Demon came to them when they were kids, now they're killing people."

Dean shrugged, "We don't know what Andrew Gallagher is, all right? He could be innocent."

"My visions haven't been wrong yet." Sam's voice raised. He was upset.

Jen sighed, still watching the door to the apartment building, "Calm down. We don't know anything yet."

Sam huffed, "I'm one of them."

"No, you're not." Dean said firmly.

"Dean, the demon said he had plans for me and children like me."

"Yeah?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, maybe this is his plan, maybe we're all a bunch of psychic freaks, maybe we're all supposed to be...killers" Sam's voice was worried.

"So the demon wants you out there killing with your minds, is that it? Come on, give me a break. You're not a murderer, Sam! You don't have it in your bones."

"No? Last I checked, I kill all kinds of things." Sam was yelling.

"Sam, there is no way…" Jen tried to diffuse the situation, "...The things we go after are asking for it. Me a cold blooded killer; more than likely. Dean, there is a chance...But you? No way in hell."

Andy exited the building in the blue robe and satin pajama bottoms. He greets a man, who hands him a coffee. Once he reaches the corner he greets a black man in a suit, who he apparently knows well. Sam points, "That's him. That older guy, that's him, that's the shooter."

Dean patted him on the shoulder, "Okay, you stick with him. Me and Jen will follow Andy...Go."

Sam rushed out of the car, chasing after Jennings. Andy got into his van and drove off, Dean pulled them Impala behind it.

* * *

We followed Andy for a while, "I don't know Jen, this guy doesn't seem like some sort of freak or murderer."

"If Sam is having a vision over it, there is a good chance...Why is he stopping?"

Andy was pulling over on a deserted street. He got outta his van and walked right towards Dean's window. I watched as Dean gripped his gun in his jacket. He rolled down the window, Andy leaned against the door, "Hey."

"Hey hey." Dean responded. Andy looked over the car, "This is a cherry ride."

Dean relaxed little, "Thanks."

"Man, the '67? Impala's best year if you ask me. This is a serious classic."

"Yeah. You know, I just rebuilt her, too." Dean smiled.

"Yeah?" Andy smiled. I watched, but there was nothing threatening about this guy. He just seemed interested in the car.

"Yeah, can't let a car like this one go."

"Damn straight. Hey. Can I have it?" Andy asked.

"Sure, man." Dean hopped out of the car, smiling.

"Sweet."

I was shocked, pretty sure he just had a stroke, "Dean? What the hell?"

Andy looked over at me, making direct eye contact, "Hi there...It's okay. Go ahead and get out of the car."

My head pounded and it felt like my brain compressed. I was getting out of the car even though I didn't want to. _What the fuck was happening? _I could vaguely hear the exchange between Andy and Dean. I pushed at the blackness, trying to regain some control. Unfortunately, it didn't happen until Andy was driving down the road.

"Hey!" I yelled, running after him. At the corner I stopped, turning. Dean was still standing there with a smile on his face. I jogged back, "Dean?!"

He didn't respond, I grabbed his collar, "Hey! Snap outta it."

Dean shook his head, "What the fuck was that?"

"No shit! I guess we know what Andy's psychic thing is...Let's go find your car."

We started hoofing it down the street. A few blocks down Dean's phone rang, I could hear Sam yelling through the phone, "_Dean! Andy's got the Impala!"_

"I know! He just sorta asked me for it and I, I let him take it."

"_What?!"_

"He full-on Obi-Wanned me. It's mind control, man!"

"_Holy shit!"_

"Sam? What's going on?"

I couldn't hear Sam's response, but I did hear the ambulance screaming by. Dean snapped the phone shut, "The guy just got pancaked by a bus."

"What the hell...I thought he was shooting himself?"

"I guess it changed."

We jogged up the streets and spotted Sam sitting on the curb, watching the paramedics load what was left of the guy into a body bag. Dean crouched behind him, placing his hand on Sam's back, "You okay man?"

"I kept him out of the gun store. I thought he was okay. I thought he was past it, at least... I should have stayed with him."

I sighed, "Sam there is nothing you could have done. This isn't your fault. But we better get outta here before the cops ask for a statement."

Sam glanced up and nodded, "What about the car?"

"Dean chewed the inside of his cheek, "Luckily this isn't a huge town. I guess we walk until we find it."

Well, not a huge town didn't mean it was small. It took us almost two hours to find the car. But we found her, parked on the corner of a street. Dean ran right up to it, checking for scratches, "Thank god! Oh. I'm sorry, Baby. I'll never leave you again... Well, at least he left the keys in it."

Sam scoffed, "Yeah. Real Samaritan, this guy."

Dean shrugged, hopping into the car. He was just happy his car was okay. "Well, it looks like he can't work his mojo just by twitching his nose, he's gotta use verbal commands."

Sam got panicky, "The doctor had just gotten off his cell phone when he stepped in front of that bus. Andy must have called him or something."

I got in the car. I had been able to snap out of it a lot faster than Dean. I highly doubted Andy could work it over a cell phone; he had had to make eye contact with me. Dean turned the key, "I don't know, maybe."

"Beg your pardon?" Sam scoffed.

"I just don't know if he's our guy, Sam."

"Dean, you had O.J. convicted before he got out of his white Bronco and you have doubts about this?"

"He just doesn't seem like the stone-cold killer type, that's all. You know... And O.J. was guilty."

"And Sam…" I spoke quietly, "...Being in the same space as someone is one thing. Forcing someone to do something over the phone would be some hardcore shit."

"We have no idea what he may be capable of."

I shrugged, "All I'm saying is that before we put a bullet in him that we get all the facts."

Sam shook his head, "Either way, how are we going to track this guy down?"

Dean pulled the car out, "Not a problem."

* * *

They drove back to where Andy had ditched his van and taken the Impala. Dean chuckled, "Not exactly an inconspicuous ride. Let's have a look...Jen, there is a crowbar under the seat."

Jen grabbed the small crowbar and pried open the back door, snapping the locks. She gasp at the site of the interior, "Oh my god!"

The inside was made of fur rugs and there was a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Shag carpet covered the seats, a tiger was painted on the wall and books were scattered everywhere. Dean started laughing, "This dude is awesome. This is... this is magnificent, that's what this is. Not exactly a serial killer's lair, though. There's no... clown paintings on the walls, or scissors stuck in victims' photos. I like the tiger."

Jen shook her head, "You need new standards...It smells like wet fur."

Sam picked up the books, "Hegel, Kant, Wittgenstein? That's some pretty heavy reading, Dean."

Dean grabbed something from under a rug, "Yeah, and uh, and Moby Dick's bong."

Jen laughed, "Seriously? I'm surprised he isn't lying in the middle of the street eating bags of chips...Dean, put that back before someone sees us."

He shot her a disappointed look and tossed it back, "You're no fun."

"I know." She smiled, and turned to go back to the car, Dean reach out and pinched her ass.

She turned, surprised but laughing, "Dean Winchester! I'm gonna kill you."

He winked. Jen rolled her eyes, Dean was in a playful mood. Compared to the last month this wasn't that bad of a case, they weren't getting stabbed or thrown against walls. At least not yet. Dean and Sam closed up the van and headed for the car. Jen leaned over the back seat, "Let's go get some food, I'm starving."

* * *

I was chewing on gas station food, sipping ice tea out of a Big Buddy foam cup. Sam was up front flipping through papers. Dean threw his wrapper in the back on the floor, licking his teeth clean, "Ugh. You know, one day I'd love to just sit down and eat something I didn't have to microwave at a minimart."

"Well, Dean, next time we are at somewhere with a half decent kitchen we can whip up some Easy-Mac." I laughed.

"Cause that's so much better."

"Fine. We can hit up a decent diner or restaurant."

"Or I could cook." Dean turned towards the back.

"You can cook?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah...I'm like a five star chef. Didn't you now that?"

I smiled, "What Spaghettios, Chef Boy-R-D?"

"Damn straight."

Sam tossed the papers down, "What I don't get is the motive. I mean, the doctor was squeaky clean, why would Andy waste him?"

Dean rummaged through the bag up front, looking for a candy bar, "If it is Andy. Tha.."

"Dude, enough!" Sam snapped.

"What?"

"The doctor was mind-controlled in front of a bus. Andy just happens to have the power of mind control. You do the math." Sam's voice was raising.

"I just don't think the guy's got it in him, that's all." Dean unwrapped the Reese's and threw one back to me.

"Well, how the hell would you know? I mean, why are you bending over backwards defending him?"

"Sam!" I huffed, "We have been tailing the guy all day. The guy hasn't done anything wrong. Other than the bong and owing money, he's squeaky clean. Why are you so sure he is wasting people?"

Dean talked through the mouthful of chocolate, "You're not right about this Sam."

"About Andy?"

A hand slamming on the car outside Sam's window made me jump. It was Andy, he looked nervous, "Hey! Hey! You think I haven't seen you? Why are you following me?"

I saw Dean's jaw clench. I felt the same clenching in my head as earlier. My eyes widened, trying to push away the dark cloud on my thoughts.

Sam replied to Andy, calmly, "We're lawyers. See, a relative of yours has passed aw…"

"Tell the truth!" Andy said sternly, making eye contact with me. I felt my will bend.

Sam continued, "That's what I'm…"

"We hunt demons." Dean blurted.

"What?" Andy was confused.

"Dean!" Sam was admonished.

I struggled, biting on my tongue, "We hunt stuff. Stuff people don't think is real...ghosts, werewolves."

"Jen!"

"Demons and spirits. Things your worst nightmares wouldn't even touch. Sam here, he's my brother. Jen''s my girlfriend." Dean choked out, rambling.

"Dean, shut the hell up!" Sam was yelling.

"I'm trying. He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer, and he's afraid that he's going to become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible. And, I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right."

Andy paused for a moment, confused, "Okay, you know what? Just leave me alone."

"Okay." Dean replied, cupping his head in his hand, pressing his temples, cringing. And just like a rubber band snapping back my head cleared.

"Dean?" I reached up and grabbed his face, "Hey...Hey. Look at me."

Sam was out of the car, chasing Andy down the alleyway. I forced Dean to look at me, "You okay?"

He nodded, obviously still struggling. I hopped out of the car and ran after Sam who was still stalking after Andy, "Doesn't seem to work on me, Andy."

"What?" Andy was clearly confused.

"You can make people do things, can't you? You can tell them what to think."

"You can force them to tell you stuff. Do whatever you want?" I was right behind Sam

Sam turned at me, "Get back in the car...Dean get back."

Dean was moving towards us, but stopped, hanging back. I waved Sam off, "I'm fine. I can fight it if I concentrate…"

"You people are crazy! This is crazy..." Andy was backed against a chain link fence.

Sam towered over him, "It all started about a year ago, didn't it? After you turned twenty-two. Little stuff at first, and then you got better at controlling it."

"Ho-How do you know all this? Go away."

I felt the push but suppressed it, "Not going anywhere."

"How do I know this?" Sam scoffed, "Because the same thing happened to me, Andy. My mom died in a fire, too. I have abilities too. You see, we're connected, you and me."

"You know what? Just, just, just, just get out of here, all right?!" He was gesturing wildly, confused and frightened. But Sam grabbed him by his collar, "Why did you tell the doctor to walk in front of a bus?"

"What?" Andy tried to shrink away. Sam cringes, pressing his eyes together, "Why did you kill him?"

"I didn't!' Andy shouted. Sam collapses and I immediately pull my gun, "What the hell are you doing to him?"

"No-Nothing. I swear!" Dean runs over to his brother who is clutching his head. I stare down the barrel at Andy, "Move away."

"Okay." He puts his hands up and slides away.

"Dean? What's going on?"

"I don't know. I think he is having a vision." Dean tried to haul him up. I continued to watch both Sam and Andy. Andy made a move to run and I cocked the hammer, "No."

"Sam? What is it?" Dean was shaking him.

"Look, I didn't do anything. I'm not doing anything." Andy insisted.

"Well you stand right there until I know that for sure...Dean?"

Sam grabbed his head, stumbled to get up, "A woman... A woman burning alive."

Dean pulled him to his feet, "What else'd you get?"

"A gas station, a woman is gonna kill herself."

"It was a vision? How long we got?" I asked.

Andy fidgeted, wanting to run, "What does he mean, going to? What is he, what is…"

"Shut up!" Dean growled at Andy.

Sam was blinking wildly, "She gets triggered by a call on her cell."

"Sam, we need a time!" I insisted.

"I don't know...But as long as we keep our eyes on this son of a bitch he can't hurt her."

"Whoa! I didn't hurt anybody." Andy said.

Sam snarled at him, "Yeah, not yet...Jen? You sure you're good?"

"Ye-." A fire truck thunders past, an ambulance in pursuit.

"Sam? What's going on?" I asked.

"Give me the gun, you and Dean go!"

Me and Dean took off, hopping into the Impala, the tires squealing as Dean slammed it in reverse and turned the corner.

"That was some mind fuck shit! How did you get it to stop?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. I just concentrate really hard...And when I saw you in pain…"

"Aww...You do care"

"Shut-up Dean."

The firetruck pulled off at a gas station, the same one we had gotten the food at earlier. In the middle of the pumps there was a smoldering body.

"Holy shit." I breathed. I had seen a lot of shit but this was awful, horrible.

"Dammit." Dean sighed, pulling out his phone.

"Hey, it's me. She's dead. Burned up, just like you said….Like minutes before we got here! I mean the smell hasn't even cleared. What's up with your visions, man? This wasn't even a head start….Listen, you were with Andy when this whole thing went down, so it, it can't be him, it's gotta be somebody else doing this...Yeah, we will dig around a little bit."

He hung up the phone, "Let's figure out what's going on."

We waited a little bit and then I pulled out a reporter's business card and the ID that matched. I walked straight up to a young cop, and put on my award winning smile, "Hi. I'm with The Guthrie News, what's happened here? Can you give an official statement?"

"Sorry miss. I can't give you anything."

I moved closer, turning the corners of my lips into a sly smile, "How about off the record?"

* * *

Andy and Sam were sitting in the alley, opposite of each other. Andy was confused but relieved that his life wasn't being threatened anymore, "So you get these premonitions of people about to die?"

Sam nodded. Andy shook his head and scoffed, "That's impossible."

Sam laughed deeply, "A lot of people would say the same thing about what you do."

"But ... death visions…Dude, that sucks. I mean, like, when I got my mind thing? It was like a gift, you know, it was, it was like I won the Lotto."

Sam thought for a moment, "But you still live in a van. I don't get it, I mean, you could ... have anything you ever wanted."

Andy shrugged, pulling his hands into the sleeves of his hoodie, "I mean, I, I got everything I need."

"So you're really not a killer, huh?"

He chuckled, "That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Sam sighed, thoughtful, relaxing, "That's good. Means there's hope for both of us."

The Impala rumbled around the corner, Sam pointed and him and Andy walked towards it. Dean and Jen got out. Jen started talking, "Did some fancy footwork, the chick's name was Holly Beckett, she was forty-one and single. Lived alone, quiet life. Same old shit."

"Who is she?" Sam asked Andy who shrugged, "Never even heard of her."

Dean cleared his throat, "Called Ash on the way over here; he came up with a little something. Apparently Holly Beckett gave birth when she was eighteen years old, back in 1983. Same day you were born, Andy."

Sam was taken aback, "Andy, were you adopted?"

"Well, yeah."

Dean furrowed his brow, "You were? And you neglected to mention that?"

Andy played with his hands, speaking quickly, "Never really came up. I mean, I, I never knew my birth parents, and, and like you said my adopted mom died when I was a baby...do you, do you think this Holly woman could actually be my...my mom?"

Jen shrugged, "That would be the logical conclusion but unfortunately I was unable to get into the county office."

Dean chuckled, "She couldn't flirt her way in…"

"Well if I would have known he swung the other way I would have sent you in Dean...We couldn't get our hands on the only hard copy in the office. It is sealed."

"Well screw that!" Andy smiled and threw up his hands.

* * *

When we arrived at the county office the night security was there. He was an older man that Andy walked right up to, "Could you let us see the records?"

The older man stared at Andy blankly and nodded, "Yes...follow me."

Andy smiled politely and we followed them into the back, I chuckled, "Sam... Our job would be a hell of a lot easier if you had that instead of visions."

"You're telling me…"

Inside the back there were file cabinets against every wall. The man turned to us, flustered, confused as to why he was back here, "I shouldn't have left you kids in here."

Andy put an arm over his shoulder, guiding him out, "No, it'll all be fine. All right? Just go get a cup of coffee..._These aren't the 'droids you're looking for_."

Dean and I laughed, "Now I really want to watch that movie."

Dean winked at me, "Next time we get a day off we can watch all three of the old ones...Okay?"

I started scanning the fronts of the cabinets, looking for adoption records and 1983, "Alrighty."

Dean's hand pressed against the small of my back as he whispered, "We could watch them in bed, naked."

I felt the blush run up my neck to the tips of my ears. He chuckled at my reaction and I did my best to bitch-face him, and Dean laughed harder before pulling a drawer open. I shook my head and kept looking.

"Over here." Sam called. He pulled a file out. Andy came back in the room, "What does it say?"

"It's true. Holly Beckett was your birth mother."

Andy sat, in shock, "Huh. Does anyone have a Vicodin?"

Sam kept reading, "Dr. Jennings was her doctor, too, I mean, he oversaw the adoption. You have a solid connection to both of them."

"Yeah, but I, I didn't kill them."

Dean patted him on the back, "We believe you man."

I pulled a chair out, "Umm...Not to state the obvious boys. But if Andy ain't offing people, then who the hell is?"

Sam flipped through a couple more pages, "I think I got a pretty good guess... Holly Beckett gave birth to twins."

I shrugged, nodding slowly, "Well then...Three guesses, first two don't count."

Sam rolled his eyes at me, "There is a name in here, we could pull up DMV records."

Dean grabbed the folder off of Sam and sat at a computer in the corner, turning it on. Andy put his head in his hands, mumbling, "I have an evil twin?"

"Smart money is on yeah." I replied.

Sam shot me another look, clearly telling me to be a little more sensitive. I got up and went over by Dean. Sam kept talking to Andy, "Holly put you and your brother up for adoption. And you went to the Gallagher family, obviously, and your brother went to the Weems family from upstate."

Dean glanced over his shoulder, "Andy, how you doin'? Still with us?"

"Um. What was my brother's name?"

Dean looked down at the file, "Umm... Ansen Weems. And he's got a local address."

"He frickin lives here?" Andy's voice was distressed. I guess this was probably a lot for someone who isn't used to weird shit. I always forget that this isn't just another day at the office for most people.

"Let's get a look at him. Got his picture coming off from the DMV right now." Dean pulls the paper out of the tray and the surprise crosses his face. I snatch it out of his hands, "No freakin way."

Dean took it back, "Hate to kick you while you're freaked... Take a look at that."

The picture that he puts before Andy is the guy that worked at the cafe with him. Andy looked at us in shook, "Webber? Webber is my twin?"

I cleared my throat, "Would he still be at work?"

"Umm...um. They should be closing up now...Ma-Maybe like another ten minutes. We gotta stop him before he hurts anyone else."

I saw Dean and Sam exchange a quick glance. Dean nodded, "Alright, let's go."

We scampered out of the county office. Sam got shotgun and I sat in the back with Andy. Sam turned, "All right, Andy. Tell us everything you know about this guy."

"Well, I mean, not much. I... Weber shows up one day, eight months ago? Acting like he's my best friend in the world. Kinda weird, like, trying too hard, you know?"

Dean pushed the speedometer higher, "Must have known you guys were twins. Why did he change his name? Why not just tell you the truth?"

"No idea."

Sam cringed, a small yelp escaping. Dean almost swerved the car off the road, "Sam?"

Sam didn't answer, just clutched his head between his hands.

"Sammy?..Sam!" Dean grabbed his shoulder. Sam was breathing harder and sweating.

"Dean! Pull off the damn road before you kill us." I snapped. As soon as the tires were on the shoulder Sam opened the door and fell out, kneeling on the ground. Before we could even get out, it was over. Sam's breathing returning to normal. Dean kneeled in front of him, grabbing his shoulders, "You alright?"

"I will be fine...He has Tracy at a dam."

I turned to Andy, "Where is the nearest dam?"

"Ah... Five minutes up the road we just passed."

I nodded, helping Dean haul Sam to his feet, "We gotta go."

* * *

"There!" Andy pointed, "Its right over this next hill."

Dean pulled the car off, gets out and circles to the trunk. I'm there with him, getting out a few guns and making sure they are loaded. Sam watches, "Dean, you should stay back."

Dean scoffed, pulling out a large case, "No argument here... Had my head screwed with enough for one day."

Sam grabs two handguns and starts walking off. Andy stops him, "I'm coming with you."

"Andy, no." Sam warns.

"If it's Tracy out there ... then I'm coming."

Sam pauses and then hands him the gun, "Okay."

They walk off and I start to follow. Dean's hand clenches around my forearm, holding me in place, "No. You are not going anywhere."

Sam stops for a moment. Dean waves him off, "You guys go. We got your back."

"Dean!" I try to pull away, but he grips my arm harder.

"Absolutely not. Non-negotiable."

"Goddammit, Sam has no back-up!"

"We got his back. You are not going anywhere near that psychotic killer...We are going to play this smart for once "

"I can fight it!"

"Andy. You can fight Andy...We don't know what this guy can do."

I stared at him angrily. He shook his head, "No Jen. For once in your goddamn life would you listen to someone...Listen to me."

"Asshole." I hissed, resigned.

He smirked, knowing that was the closest to admitting he was right I was ever going to get, "I know...c'mon. You can spot for me."

I rolled my eyes, "Fantastic...Glad I'm sitting this one out."

"Do you get off on almost dying every day or is it just giving me a heart attack?" Dean joked.

I smiled, "Nope, just an adrenaline junkie."

He handed me a bag, closed the trunk and we started hiking up the small hill. By a tree Dean pulled out a large rifle with tactical stock, "Nice gun."

He set up the tripod under it, "Such a tease."

"I was being serious...What you steal that off of? A military base?"

"I bought it...It's technically legal."

"Dean...Sam and Andy are on the bridge."

"Alrighty." He laid down , crossing his arms and stared through the scope. I laid down next to him, watching through binoculars. A fight was breaking out, Sam was dragging Webber out of car. Andy opened Tracy's door and helped her out. She looked terrified, crying. Sam pinned Webber to the ground, knee on his back, gun at the head. Andy scrambled over, covering Webber's mouth with tape.

"He's got him Dean."

"I'm still staying on him."

Suddenly, Tracy attacked Sam with a stick, knocking him to the ground. I pushed to get up but Dean grabbed my shirt, pulling me back down, growling at me, "No. We still have options."

I saw Andy yelling at Tracy, who backed away, dropping the stick. Webber got up, pulling the duct tape off. As soon as Andy stopped watching her she moved the edge of the dam, climbing up on the ledge.

"Dean, he is gonna make her jump. Take the damn shot!"

"I can't... Andy is in the way."

Watching helplessly was killing me. Andy and Weber were yelling and moving too much for Dean to get the shot. Suddenly, Weber turns on us, staring like he was right here face to face, his voice clear as day in my head. _I see you. Kill him_. I was a puppet and felt this burning, searing rage as I grabbed the back of Dean's head and slammed it against the ground.

"Jen?" He groaned in pain._ Good._ I jumped, rolling and attacking him; going for the face.

"Jen. Stop...Shit!' My right fist pounded into his cheek. He grabbed my wrist when I reeled back again. Dean kneed me hard in the stomach, grabbed my shoulders, tossing me across the ground. It only fueled the rage I felt. I lept up, knife from my boots in hand. He deflected my blows as I searched for a weakness. His biggest: Dean didn't want to hurt me. I slashed and came back down. He had no choice but to throw me again. His mistake, because I was right next to the rifle. I grabbed it, swinging it upwards, his chest in the sights. His hands flew up.

"Jen. Babe...calm down. It's me. Everything is okay." I smiled, knowing I had won. A gunshot cracked through the air. Just like that, everything fell away.

"Dean." I breathed, watching him cringe on the other side of the scope. My head was clear, rage replaced by fear. I started hyperventilating, tossing the rifle away.

"Dean?"

He stood upright, clearly relieved that there wasn't an extra hole in him, "Jen? Is that you in there?"

I scrambled up, slowly approaching him. Tears threatening to pool over my eyelids. I grabbed the collar of his jacket and quickly checked him over. He ignored me, pulling me into a bear hug, "Are you okay baby?"

I scoffed, pushing back, wiping the wetness away from my eyes, "Am I okay?...Dean, I tried to kill you!"

"Par for the course...Are you okay? You didn't give me much of a choice."

"Next time be a little harder…I cou-"

"It wasn't you." He pulled me back against him, enveloping me in his chest. I started crying, not being able to believe what I had just tried to do, "Shh...Jen. It's okay. Babe, I'm okay."

* * *

By the dawning hours of the morning the emergency services had arrived on scene and were loading Weber's body for the coroner's office. Sam sat still as a paramedic patched up his shoulder. Dean and I stood nearby, his arm hooked around my waist. I still had this overwhelming feeling of guilt that Dean kept trying to push aside. I wasn't having any of it.

Andy was talking to a group of police nearby, "...He shot himself. And you all saw it happen."

The one nodded, "Yeah. We did."

The paramedic walked away from Sam, "Look at him. He's getting better at it."

Andy walked past Tracy who quickly looked down at her feet. Andy watched her for a moment, saddened by her reaction. Then he came over by us, "She won't even look at me."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, she's pretty shaken up."

Andy shoved his hands in his pockets, "No, it's, this is different. It's, uh, I never... I never used my mind thing on her before. Before last night. She's scared of me now."

Sam stood and clapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, Andy, I hate to do this, but um, we have to get out of here. Here. I wrote down my cell. You don't have to be alone in this, all right? If anything comes up, just call me up."

Andy too the piece of paper, "Wha... what am I supposed to do now?"

"You be good, Andy. Or we'll be back." Dean said sternly. We shook hands with Andy and turned to go. Sam spoke lowly, "Looks like I was right."

Dean stopped, "About what?"

"Andy. He's a killer after all."

Dean scoffed, "No, he's a hero. He saved his girlfriend's life, he saved my life."

I looked down at the ground, swallowing, that wave of guilt coming back. Sam continued walking, "Bottom line, last night, he wasted somebody."

"Yeah, but he's not a foaming-at-the-mouth psycho. He was just, he was pushed into that."

"Weber was pushed too, in his own way. Max Miller was pushed. Hell, I was pushed by Jessica's death."

"What's your point, Sam?" Dean opened the car door.

"Right circumstances, everyone's capable of murder. Everyone. You know, maybe that's what the demon's doing. Pushing us. Finding ways to break us."

"Sam, we don't know what the demon wants, okay? Quit worrying about it."

"You know, I heard you before, Dean, when Andy made you tell the truth. You're just as scared of this as I am."

I crawled into the back, Dean was slamming the keys into the ignition, "That was mind control! I mean, it's like, like, that's like being roofied, man, that doesn't count."

"You don't get a do-over...What are you, seven?"

"Doesn't matter. Look, we've just gotta keep doing what we're doing, find that evil son of a bitch and kill it...And you wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because sitting in this car are the three biggest badasses on the face of the earth. We will be able to waste that S.O.B."

"Yeah, I guess." Sam was doubtful. Dean pulled away from Guthrie and I leaned my head against the window. A few miles down the road, Dean's cell rings, "Hello? ...Ellen. What's going on? ...Yeah, we'll be right there."

He hung up, "Looks like we are heading for the Roadhouse. Ellen wants to talk."

"Can you pull off at the next exit?" Sam asked.

"What Nancy? You gotta piss already?" Dean chuckled.

"No...I will switch with Jen. I need a couple hours of shut-eye."

* * *

I spent the hours, watching out the window. We were almost to the Roadhouse when Dean reached over and grabbed my hand, "You gotta let this go Jen."

"No." I replied curtly, pulling away from him.

"If you hold on to shit it will eat you from the inside out. Take it from someone who knows."

"I tried to fucking kill you! We have to worry about everything else trying to kill us...now I turned a gun on you?"

"You didn't pull the trigger."

"Dean...I was going to." I bit my cheek. I was so pissed at myself. Dean gripped my upper arm and pulled me across the seat, up against him. Dean wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into his, "Dean I am so sorry. I can't even start to make this up to you."

"Don't worry about it. Just another day at the office." His hand rubbed up and down my arm reassuringly. I still hated myself.

Fifteen minutes later we were stumbling into the Roadhouse. I was exhausted, Dean hadn't slept either, and Sam had been in and out of consciousness. We sat at the bar and Ellen put drinks in front of us. I could feel her eyes on us, "Jo...Go pull another case of beer."

"Mom…"

"Now. Please." Her voice was stern and Jo went out the back door. As the door slammed shut, Ellen leaned on the bar, "So. You uh, you want to tell me about this last hunt of yours?"

Dean set his glass down, "No. Not really. No offense, it's just kind of a family thing."

"Not anymore…" She dropped a stack of papers on the bar top, "I got this stuff from Ash. Andrew Gallagher's house burnt down on his six month birthday, just like your house. You think it was the demon both times, don't you? You think it went after Gallagher's family?"

"Yeah, we think so." Sam sighed.

"Sam…" Dean warned. Ellen ignored him, "Why?"

"None of your business." Dean snapped.

Ellen raised an eyebrow, "You mind your tongue with me, boy. This isn't just your war, this is war. Now, something big and bad's coming and it's coming fast, and their side holds all the cards. Now, at best all we got is us. Together. No secrets or half-truths here."

Sam shared a look with Dean and then continued, "There are people out there, like Andy Gallagher, like me. And um ... we all have some kind of ability."

"Ability?"

Dean rolled his eyes. Silently begging me to stop Sam as he continued, "Yeah. Psychic ability. Me, I have, um, I have visions. Premonitions. I don't know, it's, it's different for everybody. The demon said he had plans for people like us."

"What kind of plans?"

"We don't really know for sure."

"These people out there, these psychics are they dangerous?" She was concerned. Before Sam could speak I cut him off, "No...We don't think so."

Sam shook his head, "Some are. Some are very dangerous."

Ellen nodded, "Okay, how many of them are we looking at?"

Dean shrugged, "We've been able to track a clear pattern so far. They've all had house fires on the night of the kid's six month birthday."

"That's not true." Sam said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Webber? Or Ansen Weems, or whatever his name is… I looked at his files, and there was no house fire. There's nothing out of the ordinary."

Ellen gripped the bar, pouring us each another drink, "Which breaks pattern. So if there's any others like him, there'd be nothing in the system. No way to track 'em all down."

I huffed, "So we have no idea. No way to know."

The door creaked as Joe came back in. Ellen stared between us for a moment, "Jo honey?...You'd better break out the whiskey instead."

Jo reached through the door and grabbed a bottle, setting it on the bar. Ellen was quiet for a long time as we drank, "If you three want...I have two rooms open out back. You guys look like you could use a decent night's sleep."

I nodded, sipping my drink, "Thanks Ellen."


	25. No Exit

Ellen's two open rooms were in the back corner of the Roadhouse. Each had a single bed with scratchy military bedding and a nightstand with a lamp and a radio clock. Dean woke in the early hours of the morning and watched Jen sleep on his chest. She had fallen asleep with him wrapped around her, but with Dean's size and Jen's sprawling, he had slipped off the bed in the middle of the night. Dean crashing to the ground hadn't even broken her soft snores. After his initial surprise, Dean had finagled and pulled her over him; she being a much better blanket than the rough wool as her body radiated heat between them.

In the soft light of the clock and dawn breaking around the curtains he could see the bruises on her arms where he had grabbed her. Dean traced them with his fingertips, feeling a twinge of guilt. Sure Jen had been trying to kill him, but it wasn't actually _Jen_. She had had no control over what she had been doing.

Dean enjoyed her like this, peaceful. Because the second Jen woke up and saw his black eye and swollen jaw the self loathing would start again; should would shut him out. Dean felt her eyelashes flutter against his bare chest, he reached and interlaced his fingers with her's and she squeezed his hand in response. A smile flicked across her sleepy face as she glanced up but it was quickly replaced by a frown and a crinkled brow.

Dean sighed, cupping her chin. Jen immediately shifted her weight, going to get up. Dean grabbed her arms, stopping her.

"Dean…" She pleaded for forgiveness, even though he had already said a million times that he didn't care and it wasn't her fault.

"Jesus Jen…" He grabbed her thigh and forced Jen to straddle his waist. She refused to look him in the eyes, "Babe, its not like you shoved a knife through my head."

She relaxed a little and Dean no longer had to hold her in place, he tucked her loose curl behind her ear.

"That's not funny." Jen whispered. Dean chuckled, "It's kinda funny."

Jen rolled her eyes and then met his, trying to figure out how much she had hurt him. Dean ran his hands up and down her sides, his rough calloused fingers exploring her soft skin.

"Stay." Dean breathed. A soft smile played at her lips, the warmth almost reaching her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and nodded slowly. Dean smiled brightly and pulled her down into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"You're crushing me." Jen complained and Dean chuckled, lessening his grip, but pulling her up, his lips searching for hers. Dean nibbled softly before she parted her lips and he searched her mouth with his tongue. They kissed lazily and deeply for a long time. Jen held his face between her hands, tugging his hair intermittently. Dean slid his hands, touching every inch of her that he could reach.

"Jen." Dean moaned lowly. Jen took his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged as she pulled away, "Hmm?"

"God, you're gorgeous."

Jen blushed, "I don't know who the hell you are looking at."

Dean busted out laughing, shaking underneath her. It only made her blush more. He sat up quickly,pulling her legs around his back. Jen yelped in surprise. Dean ignored her and buried his lips against her neck, "Baby…"

Jen nuzzled his neck and placed kisses along Dean's jaw line. She tightened her legs around him, wrapping arms around his neck. Pulling Dean as close as she possibly could because this was the only way Jen knew how express how she felt about him. Dean pulled her face back, tracing her lower lips with his thumb, searching her eyes. Jen leaned into his hand and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Dean placed a kiss on her forehead and then leaned his against her's momentarily before continuing to kiss her; holding her as close as he could.

The doorknob turning made Dean simultaneously pull the blanket over Jen and reach for his gun on the nightstand. It was Sam, "Hey guys, Ellen and Jo are fighting...For Christ's sake, are you two incapable of keeping your hands off each other!?"

Jen buried her face in Dean's neck, trying to hide the embarrassment from being caught yet again. Dean was annoyed, he had just gotten Jen to open up a little, "Dammit Sam, have you ever heard of knocking?"

"I didn't think I needed to...Neither of you have slept in like three days!"

"Get out...We will be there in a minute." Dean growled. Sam shut the door and Dean glanced down, Jen's face still hidden in the crook of his neck. He slipped a finger under her chin, pulling her to look at him.

"Rain check?" He asked gently. Jen nodded but Dean could see he had missed his chance. She had already shut down; shut him out. Jen swung her legs, standing and dressing quickly in jeans and a hoodie. Dean watched momentarily but then put his t-shirt, jeans and jacket on. Sam was still waiting outside the door when they exited. Sure enough they could hear stuff being slammed and raised voices inside the main bar area.

"Catfight?" Dean asked, Sam shrugged.

When they came in the back door, Ellen was yelling, "I am your mother, I don't have to be reasonable!"

Jo slammed down a tray, "You can't keep me here!"

"Oh, don't you bet on that, sweetie."

"What are you going to do, are you going to chain me up in the basement?"

"You know what, you've had worse ideas than that recently. Hey, you don't wanna stay, don't stay. Go back to school."

Jo was hurt, almost in tears, "I didn't belong there! I was a freak with a knife collection."

"Yeah, and getting yourself killed on some dusty back road, that's where you belong?" Ellen turned and spotted them, "Guys, bad time."

Sam nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

Dean chuckled uncomfortably ,"Yeah, we rarely drink before ten anyway."

Jen nodded, "We will get going."

"Wait." Jo insisted, " I wanna know what they think about this."

"I don't give a shit what they think!"

A family walked in the front door, clearly on a family vacation. The wore matching yellow t-shirts. The dad cleared his throat, "Are you guys open?"

Jo and Ellen yelled an opposing yes and no. The poor guy shifted uncomfortably, pushing his family out the door, "We'll just... check out the Arby's down the road."

Everyone stood still. Jo and Ellen staring each other down; a battle of wills. The phone on the wall rang, making everyone jump. Jo glared at it until Ellen huffed and answered, "Harvelle's…"

Jo snatched a folder off the bar, turning to the trio, "Three weeks ago a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment."

She shoved the folder at Dean, who refused to grab it, "Take it, it won't bite."

Dean shook his head, "No...but your mom might."

Jo pressed her lips together. Jen grabbed the folder out of her hands and started flipping through the photos and the newspaper clippings. Jo continued to talk, "And this girl wasn't the first. Over the past eighty years six women have vanished. All from the same building, all young blondes. Only happens every decade or two so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer, or something else."

"Did you put this together Jo?" Jen asked, impressed by the detail in the file. All the victim reports were in there, every detail that the police knew. There were also building schematics, a complete history of the property; all laid out neatly.

"Yeah...Of course I did."

Jen gave her a smile, "This is really good."

"Thanks." Jo was taken aback. Usually Jen was a little gruff, more hostile. Jen handed the folder to Sam, "I don't know what you two think but I think it looks like something."

"Good." Ellen was back in this, "You like the case so much, you can take it."

"Mom!"

"Joanna Beth, this family has lost enough. And I won't lose you too. I just won't."

Jo stomped out of the room, pissed. Ellen sighed, "Seriously, go ahead and take it. Jo will get over it. If something out there is killin' people, you might as well waste it."

* * *

I was curled up in the front seat as we hit the halfway point in Pennsylvania, "This file is crazy. I don't know how the hell she spotted this pattern."

Dean shrugged, "Way too much time on her hands. What are we looking at?"

I rubbed my face, "Victims being snatched are young blondes living alone...Running back awhile. Bodies are never recovered."

I tried to keep reading, but all I could think of was the how out of control I felt. Ever since Weber had mind controlled me I felt, well, helpless. For the first time I felt like I couldn't do the job. But hunting was everything; it had always given me purpose and direction. Now I was questioning if I read everything in this file right, had I missed anything? Was I putting either of the boys in danger? Was I a danger to Dean? Endless questions sprung through my head over and over.

When we arrived at the apartment building in downtown Philly there was no doorman, so we just made our way to the fourth floor, third door on the left. It was a corner apartment in an old brick building. Sam bent to pick the lock and we walked right in. It was an open space with large windows, hardwood floors. A hallway led off the main area to what I guessed would have to be the bathroom and bedrooms.

"Did someone already lease this?" Sam asked. I glanced down at the files, "No, the ad in the paper said it came fully furnished and no one has signed the lease papers yet."

I tossed the file on the counter and began to look around for anything out of the ordinary. Dean was pulling out his EMF meter when Sam spoke from by the windows, "I feel kinda bad, snaking Jo's case."

Dean flipped his EMF on, "Yeah, maybe she put together a good file. But could you see her out here working one of these things? I don't think so."

I keep studying the walls, a large crack ran up one of the corners, "The kid seems pretty tough."

He scoffed, "How? You said the same thing the other night. This isn't amature hour. This shit gets dangerous."

I shrugged, "Everything is dangerous, we just have a little different perspective...You wanna bring that EMF over here?"

"You got something?"

I stared at the outlet where the crack stopped, "I'm not sure."

I pulled my penlight out of my pocket, pulling off the wall protector. Dean put the EMF meter down near the outlet and it went nuts, flashing red and buzzing, "You definitely found something, Jen."

"Yeah...I'm no electrician but I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to be in here." I stuck my finger inside the wall and as it came out it was covered in a black ooze, the consistency of thick pudding. I showed it to Sam and Dean.

Sam grabbed my wrist, inspecting it closer, "Holy shit."

"What?"

Dean touched it, rubbing it between his fingers, "That's ectoplasm... Well, I think I know what we're dealing with here. It's the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man."

I chuckled at his Ghostbusters reference. Sam rolled his eyes, "Dean, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice. I mean, to make this stuff you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit."

"Spirit?" I asked. Dean nodded, "Yeah, this bastards will ooze this shit and leave it behind if they are super, super pissy. We need to find this ass before he snags any more girls."

"Hmm." I smelt it real quick and made a face. It smelt like black licorice that had been lit on fire.

"Guys." Sam spoke quietly, "There is someone coming."

"Shit." I hissed and scrambled out of the apartment, just as the voices reached the far corner of the hallway. Hearing the woman's voice I glanced at Dean who was frowning and raised an eyebrow. _Was that Jo?_

Sure as shit Jo walks around the corner with a man who is probably the landlord, telling her about the place, "...Yeah, it's a great building, fixed it up real nice. All the apartments come furnished, too."

She nodded, "It is so spacious. You know, my friend told me I absolutely have to come check it out, and I have to admit, she was right. You did a really good job with this place."

They hadn't seen us yet. Dean cleared his throat, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"There you are, honey." She walked right up and grabbed Dean around the waist. _What the fuck?_ I glared at her, but Jo never looked around to see my reaction, "This is my boyfriend Dean and his buddies Sam and Jen."

I don't know how she didn't hear my breath hiss past my clenched teeth. Sam was standing right there, why couldn't she have walked up to him? The landlord obviously ignored my reaction, "Good to meetcha. Quite a gal you've got here."

"Oh yeah, she's a pistol." Dean chuckled, glaring at Jo, never missing a beat.

"So, did you already check out that apartment? The one for rent." Jo asked.

"Yeah. Yes. Loved it. Heh. Great flow." Dean shifted uncomfortably, trying to get out of her grip. That made me relax a little bit.

"How'd you get in?" The landlord's brow creased.

"It was unlocked already." I replied with a small smile. Jo shot me a quick glance, "Now, Ed, um, when did the last tenant move out?"

He leaned against the wall, thinking, "Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stuck me for the rent."

Jo smiled, "Well. Her loss, our gain! 'Cause if Dean-o loves it, it's good enough for me."

She pulled out a wad of cash and hands it to the guy. He looks surprised but hands her the keys, "I guess...I guess we can fill out the paperwork later."

As he walked back down the hall Jo releases Dean who shoots me an apologetic look before he turns on Jo, "In the damn apartment. Now!"

She stands defiantly, but Dean shoves her towards the door. Sam and me follow, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Jo just starts walking around the apartment, checking it out. I instinctively move partway across the room; between her and Dean in the open space, and I don't notice what I'm doing until I'm already there.

"Where does Ellen think you are?" I ask.

Jo shrugs, "Vegas."

Dean scoffs, "You really think she'll buy it?"

Jo sat down on a sofa, "I'm not an idiot. I got Ash to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos."

"You know, you shouldn't lie to your mom. Shouldn't be here either." Dean said.

"Well, I am. So untwist your boxers and deal with it."

I rolled my eyes, still stewing.

"Where'd you get all that money from, anyways?" Sam asks.

"Working, at the Roadhouse."

Dean laughs, "Hunters don't tip that well."

"Well, they aren't that good at poker, either." Jo is being confrontational. Obviously taking it personally that we aren't being inviting. Dean's phone breaks the silence. I watch him look at the caller ID, "Shit...Hi Ellen."

Jo flies across the room, "Don't you dare."

Dean covers the mouthpiece, "I'm telling her."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

He sighs, "I haven't seen her Ellen…Yeah, I'm sure… Absolutely…Jen? Yeah she is here."

Dean tosses the phone over to me, "Hey Ellen."

"_Jen, hey...No offense to Dean, but I know you would tell me the truth. Is Jo there?"_

I glance up smirking, fully intending to tell Ellen that Jo is right here. But I catch her eyes, she is begging me not to, knowing that she can't bully me into anything like she can with Dean. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and rolled my eyes, "No Ellen. I haven't seen her"

"_Thanks sweetie. You let me know if she shows up."_

"Will do." I snapped the phone shut and tossed it back to Dean, staring pointedly at Jo, "You owe me."

* * *

A few hours later the place was destroyed, papers littering the counter and surrounding walls. Jo was sitting at a table with the latest blueprints spread out in front of her, flipping a small knife between her fingers. Sam sat opposite of her, Dean was pacing around the room. Jen perched on the arm of a sofa where she could watch everyone. Jo's little knife flipping thing was making her nervous.

Jo was talking through the history of the building, "This place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a while ago."

Dean paused for a moment, "Yeah? What was here before 1924."

Jo shrugged, "Nothing. Empty field."

Sam nodded setting down the papers he was looking at, "So, most likely scenario, someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell."

Jo shook her head, "I already checked. In the past eighty two years, zero violent deaths. Unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor."

"Where did you check at?" Jen asked, skeptical.

"Everywhere. Police reports obituaries, mortuary reports and like a dozen other sources. I know what I'm doing…" She shot Dean a look, "...Would you sit down?"

Dean sat, "I think the jury is still out...Why don't you put the knife down?"

She sets it down. Jen walks over, resting her hands on the back of Dean's chair, "What about an object? That would be the next logical thing to check."

"Well, we've got to scan the whole building. Everywhere we can get to, right?" Jo asked excitedly. Jen rolled her eyes, done with this nonsense. This was a job, not a hobby.

Dean thought for a moment, "Right. So. Jo and me, we'll take the top two floors. Jen, you back up Sam…"

"What?!" Jen's voice was haughty. And before Dean could answer Jo spoke over him, "We'd move faster if we split up."

Dean shook his head, "Oh, this isn't negotiable...I lied to your mother so you are staying where I can keep an eye on you."

* * *

Sam and Jen were walking along the bottom floor hallways, scanning with their EMFs. The silence was awful and Jen was conveying how annoyed she was in every action. Regretting not sending Jo home when she had the chance. Sam broke it, "Dean is just making sure nothing happens to her. We don't know what she can do. You can handle yourself."

Jen didn't answer, just shrugged and kept scanning the walls. Sam shook his head, "Okay then... Why did you let her stay?"

Jen stopped short, "I wasn't going to."

"Why then?"

"John." Jen smiled and shook her head.

Sam was surprised, "My dad? Why?"

Jen turned to face him, "What if he would have sent me home when I busted down the door? Not given me the chance to hunt? I mean, hell, I was sixteen and reckless. I had no idea what I was getting into... Where would I be right now if he would have told me no?"

"Huh...I never thought you would be that sentimental."

Jen continued to walk, "I never would have hooked up with you guys in Dodgeville. Never would have ended up with Dean. Never would have saved all those people...Who am I to tell her she can't have a shot at hunting?"

"Guess I never have thought about it like that."

"Just because I'm not here biggest fan doesn't mean she couldn't be a half decent hunter...Jo did put together a hell of a file. Saved us a shitload of time."

Up a few floors Dean was trailing Jo in the hall, scanning the walls with the EMF. He kept adjusting his pace to hers and it was pissing her off, "You gonna buy me dinner?"

Dean raised his eyebrows, "Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about?"

She turned on him, "It's just if you're gonna ride me this close it's only decent you buy me dinner."

Dean shook his head and kept going, "Oh, that's hilarious. You know, it's bad enough I lied to your mom, but if you think I'm letting you out of my sight... I don't know if you've noticed, but you're kind of the spirit's type."

"Exactly."

"Hold up...You wanna be bait? What are you smoking?"

"Quickest way to draw it out and you know it." Jo stomped down the hall, still trying to get away from him.

Dean scoffed, "I'm so regretting this."

"You know, I've had it up to here with your crap!" Jo raised her voice, challenging him.

"What?"

"Your chauvinist crap. You think women can't do the job."

He bit his tongue, trying to maintain control, "Sweetheart, this ain't gender studies... Women can do the job fine. Hell, I work with one full time that I'm pretty sure is the scariest hunter I've ever seen… And you know what? Jen is right, amateurs can't do the job. You have no experience. What you do have is a bunch of half-baked romantic that some barflies put in your head."

Jo tried to walk away, "Now you sound like my mother."

"Oh, and that's a bad thing? Because let me tell you…"

"What?"

"Jo, you've got options. No one in their right mind chooses this life. My dad started me in this when I was so young... I wish I could do something else."

"You love the job."

"Yeah, but I'm a little twisted."

"Fine...What about Sam? Or even Jen? I don't see you riding her ass about not hunting."

Dean started laughing, "Sam is a grown-up and he chose this. And Jen? Yeah fucking right...You wanna know how well that would go?...I would have another black eye to match the one I already got. No one makes her do anything she doesn't want to."

"And you think I do?"

"Jo, you've got a mother that worries about you. Who wants something more for you. Those are good things. You don't throw things like that away... Might be hard to find later."

Dean walked past her, opening a janitor's closet and scanning with the EMF. A noise from the vent next to Jo made her jump, gasping. Dean came back around the corner, "What?"

"I'm not sure."

Dean sniffed, a chemical smell permeated the air, "You smell that?"

"What is that, a gas leak?"

Dean shook his head, racking his brain, "No. Something else... I know it. I just can't put my finger on it."

* * *

My phone vibrated in my pocket, "Sam, hold up a second."

I flipped it open, "What did you find?"

"_Go back to the apartment and I will show you."_

"Now?"

"_No. In ten minutes…"_ Dean said sarcastically, "_Yes right now."_

"Testy much?"

"_Its pretty nasty."_

"Alright...On my way." I closed my phone.

"Did they find something?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Dean wants us back now."

We trotted up a flight of stairs and opened the apartment. Jo was sitting at the table, fiddling with that damn knife again. Dean leaned against the counter sipping on water.

"Okay? So what was so important that I had to run up the stairs?"

Dean hesitated, "You're going to love this one...Found some scalp with blonde hair."

"What?" Sam asked.

"In the air vents...bloody and everything. Also I smelt something really weird." Dean replied. I laughed, unamused, "That's just fantastic...So what? The ghost is keeping souvenirs now?"

"Looks like it." Jo said quietly.

I glanced down at my phone, it was going on midnight, "Oh well. It's getting late. We aren't going to get anything else done tonight anyways. Might as well get some shut-eye."

I walked towards the door, needing a walk, a break. This case was weird as shit.

"Thought you said we should get some shut-eye." Dean said quietly.

"I'm just going for a quick walk."

"I will come with you." Dean followed me out the door. I went to the stairwell and walked up, "Which floor did you find that hair on?"

"The next one." Dean responded.

"Man, this case is weird." I opened the door and Dean stepped in front of me, leading me to the vent where they found the hair.

"What do you mean Jen?"

"This strikes me as more Criminal Minds than Ghost Adventures."

"You're watching too much prime-time TV."

"I'm serious Dean...I mean all and only young blondes disappear. The thing is keeping souvenirs...I think it might be following Jo."

"You think?"

"It didn't grab her when you were here, but I bet you anything it was watching her."

"Did you and Sam find anything?"

"No." I looked at the wall, thinking, not talking for awhile.

"Jen?" I didn't answer and I felt arms wrap around my waist. Dean buried his lips in my neck, "Hey."

"Hmm?"

His arms pulled me tighter, "I miss you."

"I'm right here Dean."

"That's not what I mean Jen."

I sighed. I knew I had been shutting down, being bitchy and snappy, "What do you want Dean?"

"I want you to let me in again...Tell me what you're thinking."

I paused as his arms moved farther up, wrapping around my shoulders, squeezing slightly. I wrapped my fingers around his forearms, "I'm thinking this is one nasty mother fucker we are dealing with."

"And?"

"What do you want me to say? You already know."

Dean didn't answer, just waited. I finally broke down, the words tumbling, "I hate myself so freaking much. I hate how I let you down... I'm in such a shitty place right now and I don't know how to handle it."

Dean flipped me around to face him, cupping my face in his hands, "Listen to me Jen...In no way did you let me down. And I've been there baby, you just gotta let it go."

"Do you ever?" I whispered. His face was pained as he bent down and kissed me gently. Then he pulled back, thumb tracing my cheek, "No. I haven't figured that bit out yet."

Dean pulled me against his chest, lips buried in my hair. I wrapped my arms around his waist, gripping him as close as I could. He relaxed a bit, "You ready for bed?"

I nodded and Dean intertwined his fingers with mine, pulling me back to the apartment. Jo and Sam were not in the main room so they must had grabbed the two bedrooms. I chuckled, "Couch it is then."

Dean walked down the hallway and I heard a disgruntled Sam snapping at Dean. He came back down the hallway with a couple of pillows and a blanket, "I told him if he got the bed he had to give up some shit."

"Was he already asleep?"

"No. He is still up, working on the case." Dean kicked off his boots and jeans, dragging me with him towards the leather couch. I stripped to my boyshort underwear and t-shirt, crawling under the blanket with him, letting Dean wrap his arms around me. His one hand ran under my shirt and up and down my spine lazily. I leaned back into his touch and buried my lips on his throat. Working my way down his neck to his chest.

"Jen... Baby." He caught my chin in his hand and pressed his lips against mine, lightly pushing, slowly sinking against me. Dean ran his hands down my body, stopping at my hip, going to push my underwear down.

"Dean...They are in the other room." I groaned, frustrated.

"So?" Dean kissed my neck, running his nose along my jaw.

"So?...What if they hear? I'm kinda sick of getting walked in on."

"I guess it's not like you are the quietest person in the world either." Dean teased.

I shoved him playfully and he flipped me on my back, him remaining on his side. I raised an eyebrow and Dean grinned mischievously. He dipped to meet my lips . This time it was different, needier, deeper. His tongue brushed against my teeth then played against my tongue. While we were making out, Dean's hand traveled down the front of my stomach and slipped lower. I gasped into his mouth and he chuckled, biting my bottom lip.

His hand started moving slowly, "Holy shit!... Dean?"

"Shh Babe...Easy." Dean pressed his forehead against the side of my face as I stared up into the dark, already becoming overwhelmed, my body quivering against his touch. Dean's fingers slipped farther, rubbing evenly. I moaned, breath hitching in my throat and I whined, trying to keep quiet. Dean must have taken some pity on me because he covered my mouth with his free hand, stifling my voice.

Dean's fingers moved inside of me, changing pace and I had to grip his forearms to maintain some control. My hips moved uncontrollably and under his expert hands I turned into jelly; unable to think, unable to focus. I bucked, involuntarily, the moan that escaped was high pitched and needy.

"Shh Jen...Baby, Jesus Christ are you fucking gorgeous."

Dean pulled my face so that I was staring into his green eyes. His hand was still over my mouth, but all I wanted to do was kiss him. I pulled his hand off my mouth and pressed my lips against his. He was surprised, fingers pausing momentarily. Dean pushed farther into me, and I squeezed my thighs together. Dean responded, shoving his knee between mine, widening his access. I could feel the heat building in the pit of my stomach, my neck locked back and my muscles tightened. Dean covered my mouth again forcing me to look at him.

"Come on babe, I'm right here. You're okay...Come on." And I did, coming undone. My vision became white and my back arched. My fingers dug into his forearms. Dean helped me ride it out, holding me until my body ceased to spasm. When I was able to focus again I searched his eyes, he ran his finger over my bottom lip, "I love you so damn much Jen."

"I love you too Dean." He kissed me quickly, and pulled me closer. Our bodies flush and our foreheads touched, unable to pull our eyes from each other.

* * *

Jen woke the next morning as daylight was just starting to stream. Dean was wrapped around her. Jen wriggled out, Dean never budging. He slept like the dead when he slept with Jen. No one else was moving yet so she dressed quickly; slipping her jeans back on and pulling a flannel over her t-shirt. She left a note on the counter and slipped out to get coffee and breakfast.

Jo had woken right after she left, saw the note and went back to studying the files at the table. She flipped her knife through her fingers. Dean woke up after about a half-hour, looking around groggily, "Where's Jen and Sam?"

"Jen went to get coffee and food. Sam is still asleep."

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, stretching, "Ugh...How'd you sleep?"

"I didn't really. I've just been trying to wrap my head around this stuff. Going over everything again and again."

"That'll make you crazy...People need sleep."

Jen shoved the door open, startling both of them, "We gotta problem."

Dean raised an eyebrow, "It's not even seven-thirty."

"Yeah, well tell that to the ghost. It took another girl last night...Top floor."

"Son of a bitch." Dean groaned.

"I didn't get a good look at the room yet. The cops are crawling all over the place...But she fits the type, young and blonde."

"Great." Jo complained, "How the hell are we supposed to stop this thing?"

Jen shrugged, slinging the food and coffee on the table, "Patience and research."

"Sam!" Jen yelled down the short hallway, "Get your ass in gear!"

Sam stumbled down the hallway, running a hand through his hair, "Another one?"

Dean nodded, grabbing a stack of papers reaching for coffee, "Which one Jen?"

"Either one without sharpie on the cup." Dean sat, sipping the scalding black coffee.

* * *

I had hit a dead end with research. Me and Jo had stayed back while the boys headed to the county office, seeing if there was anything on the buildings that we missed. A book slamming on the table made me jump, Jo must have been fed up.

"What? Not as glamorous as you thought?"

She leaned back in her chair, "There is nothing here that we don't already know...We need to be out there…"

"Out there will get you killed."

"I can…"

I cut her off, "Listen Jo, I'm sure you can handle yourself...that's not what I meant. I meant that until we know who, we can't do anything about it."

She sighed and started flipping her small knife around. I had seen the initials engraved on it earlier when she set it down. I was curious, "Your dad's?

Jo paused, sadness seeping into her eyes, "Yeah...William Anthony Harvelle."

"I'm sorry Jo." One thing I knew from doing this job was that loss never go any easier.

She shrugged it off, "It was a long time ago...I still miss him though."

"Is that why you want to do the job so bad?"

"Sort of…"

I sighed, closing the book I was halfway through, "I'm telling you this right now Jo...Revenge doesn't fix anything and will more than likely end up with you dead. Or worse, losing yourself along the way."

She scoffed at me, "That isn't it...You're telling me that you've never done anything cause you're pissed?"

"No...I'm telling you that those are the worst jobs. When it gets personal...I don't know, it strips something away... Something that you can't get back."

She nodded and was silent for awhile, "Why then Jo?"

Jo thought for a moment before she replied, "I was still in pigtails when my dad died, but I remember him coming home from a hunt. He'd burst through that door like, like Steve McQueen or something. And he'd sweep me up in his arms, and I'd breathe in that old leather jacket of his. And my mom, who was sour and pissed from the minute he left, she started smiling again. And we were... we were a family. You wanna know why I want to do the job? For him. It's my way of being close to him."

"There is nothing wrong with wanting that…"

"Then why are you three and my mother pushing me not to? Huh?" Her voice trembled, angry.

I gave her a halfhearted smile, "Because once you are in, there is only one way out."

She raised her eyebrows, "How?"

"Bloody and dead."

Jo stared down at her knife and began playing with it again, flipping it slowly. Sam burst through the door with Dean right behind, "Well we know why the building has been clean."

I leaned back in my chair, "Alright Sam, amaze me."

He rolled his eyes, "The building next to us was the problem. It was prison...Took some digging and a call to Ash."

Dean tossed a file in front of me, "Stop beating around the bush Sam...It used to be this prison for the real hard cases...They executed them in the empty field..."

"Which happens to be right where we are standing." Sam cut him off.

I sighed, opening up the file, "Holy shit...How many names are in here?"

Dean sat across from me, "That's the bad news...A hundred and fifty-seven."

I groaned, laying my head against the table, "Let's split it up."

Dean pulled the papers out from under my face, handing me part of the stack. After about an hour my vision was blurring, _fuck my life_.

"Hold up…" Sam spoke, flipping through a couple of pages, "...Herman Webster Mudgett?"

"Who the hell is that?" Jo asked. It was kinda ringing a bell, "Why do I recognize that name?"

"Wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?" Sam said quietly.

Dean laughed, You've gotta be kiddin' me….Executed at the prison in May of 1896"

"Once again, who the hell is that?" Jo was annoyed.

Dean sat on the corner of the table, "The term "multi-murderer." They coined it to describe Holmes. He was America's first serial killer, before anybody knew what a serial killer was."

Sam chuckled, "Yeah, he confessed to twenty seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred."

This was unreal, "Oh my god...He killed blondes didn't he?...Smoked 'em with...um…"

I couldn't think of it. Dean snapped his fingers, "Chloroform...That's what I smelled in the hallway and they only found locks of hair and scalp fragments...Damn Jo, you sure know how to pick 'em."

"Well, we just find the bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?" Jo looked between us.

Sam looked at the papers in front of him, "Not that easy...His body is buried in town but it is encased in a shit ton of concrete...He didn't want anyone mutilating his body."

I rolled my eyes, "Why? Why do they always have to be a pain in the ass?"

"Well Jen…" Sam flipped his laptop towards me, "Before you get too optimistic, here is the even better news...Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. He called it the Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory, they had, uh, trap doors, acid vats, quick line pits... he built these secret chambers inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death."

"Fuck me."

"So Teresa could still be alive. She could be inside these walls." Jo said urgently, standing up.

I considered it; could be possible. Dean nodded, "We need sledgehammers, crowbars. We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl...Jen? You wanna go with Jo?"

"That'll work."

* * *

Jo was trailing me through the fifth story wall, on the phone with Sam, "Okay. Call us after you check the southeast wall."

She hung up, "They are almost done with the first floor. Haven't found jack squat either."

Great, "This is just fucking peachy."

"You afraid of some cobwebs Jen?"

Even though she wasn't my favorite person in the world, Jo's snarky repertoire was growing on me, "Ha ha...No, I just want to wrap this shit up...Dammit."

"What is it?"

"I can't fit…" My shoulders were way too wide to go through forward, and when I turned and tried to go sideways, there was no way I could squeeze my boobs through either. Goddammit.

"I can." Jo pulled me back, rushing past me. I grabbed her coat, "Dean will skin me if I let you go alone. We go around and break through the wall."

Jo shook me off and pushed herself through the narrow space, "So what? Now you're the whipped one?"

"Shut-up Jo...Seriously. You can't go anywhere without backup."

"You got a better idea?"

"Like I said…"

"There isn't enough time Jen...He could be killing her."

Son of a bitch. I watched her keep squeezing down the wall space. Fuck, was this a bad idea. My phone buzzed,

"_Alright Jen, I'm on the North wall...There is an air duct in front of me. I'm gonna go down."_

"Oh, hell no. You get your ass back here and we will go around...This is a bad fucking idea Jo."

"_Look, we've gotta find this girl, don't we? I'm okay."_

"Fuck…" I glanced behind me. I needed to get around, heading out and around, "Listen, you need to stay put. I'll be there in five."

"_We don't have ti..."_

"Jo? What is it? Are you okay?"

_"There...there's…Oh god._"

I hear her scream through the phone and through the corridor. Shit. I ran to about where I thought she would be and started slamming the sledge hammer through the wall. The plaster crumbled. I pushed my way in, scanning the interior with my flashlight. Fuck. Laying on the ground was Jo's open cell phone. I felt sick, dialing Dean's number.

"_Hey babe...You got something?"_

"Dean…" I couldn't believe that I had fucked up this bad. It had been my job to keep the situation under control.

"_Holy shit...are you okay?"_

"She's gone Dean."

"_What?!"_

"Jo...The bastard got her. She went somewhere I couldn't fit...Jesus Dean."

"_Mother fucker...Where are you?"_

"Fifth floor."

"_Stay there...We are coming to you."_

I paced back and forth. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I turned when I heard the boots running down the hallway, "I shouldn't have let her…"

Sam grabbed my arm, "We will find her."

Dean pushed his way into the wall, "Where Sam?"

"In the walls."

Dean was stressed, "We've been inside the walls all night. None of the other girls were there, she won't be either."

My phone rang, I flipped it open without looking, "_Now I would expect Dean to lie to me Jen...But you?"_

"Ellen...I can explain."

"_No...I want to talk to Jo...Put my damn daughter on the phone."_

"Listen, she just stepped out for a moment."

_"The hell...Where is she?!"_

I didn't know what to do, I couldn't tell this woman that I let her daughter get snatched by the ghost. That this was the second time in a row I had fucked up a case. Dean gently took the phone away from me, "Ellen...No...Look, we will get her back...She will be okay...I'm so sorry."

"Jen!..." Dean shook my shoulders, "Listen. You gotta snap it...We need to find Jo."

"Guys...I might have something. Come look at this." Sam had a couple of blueprints laid out in front of him, "Uh, maybe. Look. You look at the layout of the Holmes murder castle, there's all the torture chambers inside the walls, right?"

I nodded, "Okay so what? We have been inside all the damn walls."

"But there's one we haven't considered yet. The one in this basement."

Dean shook his head, "But this building doesn't have a basement."

Sam flipped to another print, "You're right, it doesn't. But I just noticed this. Beneath the foundation, it looks like part of an old sewer system that hasn't been used for…"

I pulled on Dean's arm, "Let's go...we gotta find her before that asshole kills her."

I ran down the stairs, feeling like I was going to puke the entire way. At the Impala, Dean tossed me the keys and I unlocked the trunk. Grabbing two shovels, shotguns and salt, "Sam? How do we get in?"

"Umm...There is an access hatch in an open lot, two...no three blocks away."

We made our way over quickly, not running as not to draw attention our way. The lot was dirt, covered in tall, yellowing grass and littered with garbage. Sam handed me the city schematic, "Should only be buried like six inches or so."

I walked forward, guessing the distance between the sidewalk and the hatch, pacing it out, " 'Bout here should be center?"

Dean pushed his shovel into the ground, "Let's find out."

A few minutes later he brushed the dirt off the hinges, "Damn close Jen...You were about a foot off."

I grabbed the hatch with him and we pulled the heavy lid open. There were metal pegs down the wall, leading to the bottom that was covered in gray water. I tried to angle my flashlight to see more, but there was no way without going down. I grabbed a shotgun out of the bag, but Dean beat me to it, scrambling down the ladder first. I followed, and Sam came down last, grabbing the rest of the stuff. Three different tunnels led off, each narrowing the farther they went. Sam pointed down the left one, "That one."

Dean took off ahead of me and pretty soon the tunnel narrowed enough that I was ducking, runoff sludge covering my boots. Another fifty feet and it was so small that we were gonna have to crawl.

"Do you want me to go first? I'll have an easier time than either of you."

Dean shook his head, "It's fine Jen…"

He crouched and started army crawling through the narrow space. I put my flashlight in my mouth and pushed myself behind him. My shoulders scraped the edges and within minutes my shirt and pants were soaked through.

"Dean…" Sam called from the back, "Keep to the left."

"Ugh...Okay...God this shit stinks."

After a while I pulled myself out into a corridor where I could stand up. I could hear muffled screaming, "Jesus Christ…"

I ran down before Sam was even out of the tunnel, scrambling around corners, trying to find the source. _Shit. Damn. Fuck_. The light was dim and my foot caught on a lip of stone, I fell, skidding across the floor. I could hear my gun clank away.

"Shit."

Dean's arms hauled me up to my feet as Sam rushed past, and I head shots fired, feeling the rush of cool air through the tunnels.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled.

"I'm fine! Jo and Teresa are here!" I jogged ahead of Dean into the open space. It was a hexagonal room, water dripped from the dark ceiling, and it smelled like rotten flesh. Sam was trying to pry open a metal hatch on the wall. The hinges snapped, and Jo crawled out. He handed the crowbar to Dean and I grabbed Jo's shoulders, "Are you alright?"

"I think so...Let's get Teresa out and then get the hell out of here."

I nodded, relieved, turning to see Sam and Dean help a small blonde woman out from the wall.

"Dean...We need a plan." He glances over at me, thinking. Then his eyes snap over to Jo, "Remember when I said you being bait was a bad plan?...I think it could actually work now."

"What?!"" Jo screeched.

I moved over in front of him, ignoring Jo's protest, "What are you thinking?"

Dean shrugged, shifting his weight, "Have Sam get Teresa out. We lure the creep out with Jo."

"Doesn't do us any good...We don't have any way to kill him."

"Salt works both ways, doesn't it?"

I nod slowly, beginning to understand, "Trap him. The grates are iron, we only need to block the doorway."

"Exactly."

After some scrambling, Dean and I had everything set up. Sam had gone with Teresa to the hospital, explaining that it probably wasn't the best idea to tell the cops exactly what happened. Jo was now sitting in the middle of the chamber, rocking back and forth. We were watching from the shadows. A half hour passed, then an hour, then two. I felt the cold creep up my spine, my breath fogged. It was time. Holmes began to appear behind Jo, slowly coming into form. He strolled towards Jo, reaching out to grab her hair.

"Now!" Dean yells, Jo dives towards us and we grab a rope that allows salt to fall. The white crystals seal the entrance. Holmes runs back and forth, yelling incoherently. Jo begins yelling, "Scream all you want, you dick, but there's no way you're stepping over that salt!"

She slams the final grate shut, the metal echoing through the tunnels. Then stares between us, "You guys ready to go or not?"

I nodded and take off down the one tunnel. My clothes picking up the stench again, soaking through. God, I couldn't wait to shower. Finally, I got to the ladder and hauled my ass up, beginning to realize I was tired. Sam reached down and helped me out. Sam smiled, "It took you guys long enough."

"I'm surprised you waited around."

"I didn't." He gestured behind him. There was a cement truck backed up almost to the hatch.

"We gonna seal it up?"

Sam nodded, and Jo and Dean were crawling up. Dean chuckled when he spotted the truck, "Nice choice Sam...I am so driving that."

Dean scrambled over to the door and began backing it up the rest of the way. It beeped loudly. Dean threw it in park and ran around, releasing the cement down into the sewers, "That should keep him down there until hell freezes over."

When the cement was almost gone my phone started buzzing.

"Hello?"

"_You better get your asses to the airport and pick me up."_

"Oh hey Ellen...Do you want to talk to Jo?"

"_She...She's okay?"_

"Yeah Ellen, she is right here."

"_No...Get your asses to the airport. Now!_" The line cut out. Dean was watching me, "We gotta go get Ellen. She actually flew in."

* * *

We were well into Ohio, the car was dark. I had gotten no sleep. I sat in the back between Sam and Jo, Dean and Ellen were in the front. It had been a silent nine hours. Dean eyes kept alternating between the road, glancing nervously at Ellen, and glancing into the rearview at me.

Dean chuckled uncomfortably. That was the first sound of the ride, "Boy, you, you really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?"

Ellen didn't respond, didn't even move. Dean wiggled in his seat, and flipped on the radio. Ellen promptly flipped it off. This was going to be a freaking awesome ride.

It was early afternoon when we pulled into the Roadhouse. Ellen had snatched Jo out of the car and was dragging her by her elbow. We trailed behind, stopping when Ellen slammed the door in our face. I sighed, "So do we go? Or what?"

Dean shrugged, "I don't know. I want to find a hotel and pass the fuck out."

Jo stormed out of the Roadhouse, right at us, pointing her finger at Dean, "Get the hell out!"

Dean back away, I got in between them, "Jo? What the hell?"

"Stay outta this Jen...Get the hell out of my way!"

Jo tried to snake around me but I grabbed her arm, shoving her back. Dean's hand squeezed my shoulder and I moved aside, watching warily.

"We will go Jo… What's wrong?"

Her face scrunched, fighting emotions, "It turns out my dad had a partner on his last hunt. Funny, he usually worked alone; this guy did too, but... I guess my father figured he could trust him. Mistake. Guy screwed up, got my dad killed."

Dean was confused, "What the hell does that have…"

"It was your father, Dean...Why do you think John never came back? Never told you about us? Because he couldn't look my mom in the eye after that, that's why."

Dean mouthed unspoken words. Jo turned away, "Just get the hell out."

She stormed back into the Roadhouse. I pushed Dean towards the car, "C'mon Dean...Let's go find a hotel."

"But…"

"We can talk about this later." I shoved him again, Sam was already in the front seat. Dean got behind the wheel and floored it, the back end fishtailing. Sam cleared his throat, "Do you really think…?"

At Dean's expression, he trailed off. Dean drove for hours before he jerked the car into a parking lot. He jumped out, slamming the door, stalking to the office. Sam glanced at me, I shook my head, not wanting to touch this with a ten foot pole. Dean came back out, tossing a set of keys to me. Apparently I had my own room._ Shit, was this bad_. Even though I was kinda pissed, I tried not to let it get to me. He was just in a shitty mood. When Dean got like this he acted like he was two. Sam raised his eyebrows, confused. I just shrugged it off, walking for my room.

Once in I settled, watched TV for awhile before finally dragging my smelly ass into the shower. The temperature of the water kept going from arctic to fucking Mordor, so it took me forever to wash away the stench from the sewers that had soaked into my hair. Finally, the water ran clear and the moldy, rotten smell was gone. I wrapped myself in a towel, opened the door and stopped dead. Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He looked over to where I was standing in the doorway, water from my hair dripping onto the floor.

"Dean? You okay?"

He nodded, watching me for a moment before he reached for my clothes that I had set on the bed, tossing them to me. I was still confused as I dressed quickly, then sat cross legged next to him. I waited, knowing that Dean wouldn't talk about anything until he was good and ready to. His hand moved to my knee, which he squeezed, "You know Jen, I realized the damnedest thing."

I didn't ask what, just remained silent, watching him. Dean sighed and met my eyes, "I'm fucking exhausted, and I'm in the other room and I can't fall asleep...I keep thinking to myself, son of a bitch, why can't I just fall asleep? Am I that pissed at Dad for something that happened years ago?..."

I rubbed his arm reassuringly, Dean bit his lip, smiling, "Then I realized it's because it's cold as shit and too damn quiet."

I laughed, and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face into his neck. He was surprised by my reaction at first, but his arms snaked around my waist, pulling me as close as possible. I pressed my lips against his jaw, then spoke low, "You know...I try to be mad at you, because you can be an ass...But then you say something like that."

Dean grabbed my shoulders and held me away, "I'm an ass?"

"Yep."

"You don't pull any punches do you?"

"I wouldn't be me if I did…" I winked, "...But your _my_ ass."

Dean laughed, shaking his head, amused, "It's a good thing I like you or..."

"Or what? What are you gonna do about it?" I teased and he laughed harder. Dean moved quickly, pinning me between the mattress and him, kissing me playfully, until we were both out of breath.

"You're definitely something else Jen."

"You always say that Dean."

"Baby, I always mean it."


	26. Croatoan

Two months straight of nothing but hunt after hunt. Two months of sleepless nights and days spent in the car. Two months of Dean brooding and wallowing after that damn crossroads case two weeks ago. The case where all his worse fears were confirmed; because he was alive, John was in Hell. Sam was out tying up loose ends from our latest fiasco, trying to calm down one of the victims. Right now we were on the third day of no sleep. The stress of the everything had taken its toll, Dean and I were going through a little bit of a rough patch. Right now, he was livid,

"You have to be more careful Jen."

The needle pierced through my back again and I flinched, gripping the sheet to my chest, hissing, "I'm fine. Everything is okay."

"Son of a bitch, Jen. You almost got killed!"

"I. Am. Okay."

"What the fuck were you thinking?" He pierced through my back, pulling the fishing line through roughly.

"God dammit Dean! Take it easy!" He grumbled an apology and resumed a little more gently. I knew he was pissed but Jesus, he would have done the same thing. This last hunt had been a werewolf, well, _werewolves_. But we hadn't known that at the time. Once we had downed the one, we hadn't known there had been another. While we had been celebrating over our little victory, the other had came out from the alley. Dean hadn't been looking, I shoved him out of the way, getting between him and the wolf. The son of a bitch had filayed my back and tossed me across the street before Dean was able to drop it. I had acted on instinct and if I wouldn't have, the bastard would have killed Dean, or at the minimum, bit and turned him.

Now I was laying on my stomach in the hotel listening to Dean bitch about how stupid I was. He poured some more rubbing alcohol between my shoulder blades, "Fuck."

"Why the hell would you do this Jen? Why? How could you be so stupid?"

"It was going to kill you Dean! For Christ's sake...Like you wouldn't do the exact same thing...Son of a bitch that stings!"

"There you go. We are done with that...sit up and let me see your wrist."

I sat up, wrapping the sheet around my chest and held out my arm. I had tried to brace myself when the werewolf threw me and had landed on it weird. Dean turned it, "It isn't broken but I'm gonna wrap it, just for support."

I nodded. Dean started wrapping it and then started in again, "I'm sick of this shit. I'm sick and tired of people feeling like they need to save me! You, Sam, my..."

"You cannot keep blaming yourself for everything! You are going to kill yourself if you keep living like this."

"Bu…"

I cut him off, now angry as well, "Don't you dare 'but' me! I can't keep having this fight Dean…You have it so fucking rough. You have people who care about you so much, love you so much that they are willing to risk their lives to protect you!"

"That isn't your job." He growled.

"The hell it isn't! And you can't keep doing this...Thinking that your life is worthless, that you aren't worth saving. How can you be that stupid?"

"Jen! I'm not supposed to be here! I should be dead. I should have died in that hospital."

I snapped, "Your dad knew we were trapped. That yellow eyed son of a bitch would have gotten all of us and the Colt one way or another. John knew that and he took the lesser evil. The deal where he got the most out of it."

Dean's voice was harsh, "You don't know that!...There could have been another option…"

"Listen dumbass, there was a reaper on your ass. And so help me, you were walking out of that hospital one way or another so knock it off! If it hadn't have been John it would have…"

I stopped myself, swallowing hard. I closed my eyes, knowing I had slipped. Dean grabbed my shoulders, shaking me slightly, "Jen...Jen, dammit, look at me right now."

Opening my eyes slowly I saw the horror on his face. I met his eyes and waited. Minutes felt like hours.

"Jen?" His voice shook, mortified, for the first time he wasn't yelling.

"What?" I snapped at him.

"No...You don't mean that...Dammit! Tell me you don't mean that." Dean was yelling again.

I didn't answer and looked away, crossing my arms, holding myself. It was true. It didn't matter how pissed I was at him right now, I wasn't going to deny it. He grabbed my chin roughly, pulling my eyes to meet his, "Jen...There is no way. We had only known each other, what?...Four months then?"

"So?" I countered.

"So?"

"What would you have done Dean? I know you. And I know that only thing keeping me from slipping under was watching you in the back of that damn car. I know the first goddam person that I called out for was you. Sam said the hospital attendants couldn't hold me down, I was struggling so hard to find you...This. Us. We are so different and I was...I am so far down that road…"

"Please don't mean that baby. Please...Please Jen." Dean was speaking in barely more than a whisper.

"I love you…" I faltered momentarily, trying to think of how to put this so that he would understand, "...I mean it was like getting hit by a train, Dean. It's so fucked up how much I care about you...Like everytime I look at you my heart skips and I feel like I'm going to go crazy. And it is everything about you too. Like right now, even when you're yelling….I keep thinking how lucky am I to have someone who cares that much..."

"Jen...Don't."

"Why?"

"Because..." He choked, "You wanna know why? Because I can't lose you. Because this. Us. Is one of the only good things I have left. Because I fell so quickly and so hard in love with you that I wish you didn't feel the same way...I'm mad that you would risk your life for a piece of shit like me."

I kneeled, stroking his hair, resting my forehead against his, "You are not a piece of shit Dean. You need to know that. I wish you could see yourself how everyone else does. How I do."

He put his rough hands on my cheeks, pulling my mouth against his. It was needy and desperate. His tongue searched my mouth slowly, tracing.

"I'm sorry Jen. I'm sorry I yelled."

I chuckled, stroking his cheek with my fingertips, "No you're not."

He bit his lip and clenched his jaw, studying me, "Fine... I _am_ sorry that I yelled, not for what I yelled about. You scared the shit out of me baby."

"I'm sorry that I scared you, but not for what I did."

We laughed for a moment and then his expression changed, he pulled me on his lap, straddling him. His thumb ran over my lower lip, "You are such a pain in my ass."

I giggled, "Dean Winchester...Who knew you could be such a poet?"

He smirked, but his hand ran over my neck and shoulder, down my arm, holding my hand, "Please don't do that again...Promise me?"

"I can't." I replied firmly.

"I know." He half smiled. This was a reality that we both had to accept, whether or not we liked it. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself against him. His arms carefully wrapped around my back. We stayed like that for a really long time. Then the phone buzzed on the nightstand. I flipped it open,

"Sam. Please tell me that you didn't find another hunt." I stood up, keeping myself covered and Dean tugged the sheet and it began to slip. I tugged it firmly, shoting him a look and he grinned. Rolling my eyes I listened to Sam,

"_No. Things in town are taking a little longer than I thought. If you guys want to get a couple hours shut eye, we can leave after dark."_

I glanced at Dean, who nodded firmly, "Sure Sam."

"_Alright...see you later."_

I snapped the phone shut, "You are ridiculous."

"What?" He grinned playfully, and raised his eyebrows, "We have never had make-up sex."

"You can't be serious?"

Dean chuckled, "Nah...Even though I would love to blow your mind...We both need to sleep, and you shouldn't be stressing those stitches."

"I'm sure I will bust them anyways."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Probably...When'd you get so frisky?"

I shrugged. He got up and put the first aid stuff back in his bag and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. I ditched my pants and leaned against the headboard, "You got over that fast."

Dean took a swig and then handed me the bottle, sitting down and wrapping his arm around my shoulders, "I'm still pissed… But unfortunately, I'm kinda stuck with you. Pain in my ass or not."

I swigged, savoring the burn, "Looks like it."

Dean was quiet for awhile, the he took another swig, "This sucks Jen."

"The whiskey? You shoulda sprung for the good stuff…"

"No, not that….Us."

My stomach dropped, what the hell did he mean? I flipped so I was facing him, "W...What?"

Dean looked down to me, "Not like that Jen...Shit. I didn't mean it like that."

He nudged me and I leaned so he could put his arm behind me. Dean pulled me as close as he possibly could, "What did you mean then?"

"I meant I never thought this through all the way...I never thought I would feel like this. I didn't know I could feel like this...Jesus, I suck at this."

Dean pulled me closer, I waited, allowing him to gather his thoughts, "Christ, I don't know…"

"Dean...I get it okay? I didn't get into this with any expectations either. It's hard caring about someone. It complicates things...It complicates the job."

"Yeah that." He sighed, setting the bottle on the nightstand. His fingers traced patterns up and down my arm, "Is there something else Dean?"

"I don't know…" Dean stared off into space, "...It's just this fucking job."

"Well we are moving on to a different one…"

"No Jen, not this one in particular...All of it. We do all this shit, to what? Totally destroy our lives...Just to save one or two?"

"We save a lot more than one or two." I replied quietly.

"Yeah, but how many die everyday from random ass shit? What makes it our job?"

I chuckled, readjusting so my chin rested on his chest, "Could you just walk away? Say 'fuck it', and never look back?"

Dean shrugged, "Probably not...Like to have the option though."

I pressed my lips against his skin, "The option is always there Dean...I know I can't take that door. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't if you thinks that's best."

His brow furrowed, "Why couldn't you?...You deserve more than this."

"I love it...Don't get me wrong, it's stressful, and sucky, and I hate living outta a car. But could you imagine being a bystander in this shithole? When I go, I'm going down swinging, knowing that I did a little bit of good...And no I don't deserve better."

"No white picket fence?"

I laughed, snuggling up against him, "Hell no...Could you even picture that? Me without hunting?"

His fingers twisted in and out of my hair for awhile. Then Dean slid me off of him, turning on his side so that we were face to face, noses almost touching. He gently stroked my face with his rough hand, "I'm happy you're okay...Thank you."

I could see in his eyes how hard the last bit was for him to say. I knew he worried, that was Dean's full time job. I mimicked his motion, tracing his jawline with my thumb, "You don't ever need to thank me Dean...Not for something like that. Ever."

A soft smile played at his lips, and his eyelids began to droop. I leaned my forehead against his and closed my eyes, instantly falling asleep.

* * *

"C'mon Jen...Get your ass up!" Dean was shaking my leg.

"Mm...No."

"Too bad…" The blanket ripped off of me and I scrunched up, shivering against the cool air.

"Dean! Give it back." I whined and opened one eye, squinting at him. Then to the clock, "Dean...Why are we up? I only got two hours. I'm goddamn tired."

He tossed some clothes on top of me, "You can sleep on the road."

I groaned, shaking, "Can't the next job wait until I get six hours?"

"It isn't a hunt. You can sleep in the car...Seriously, c'mon babe."

The mattress sunk and Dean pulled me upright, rubbing over the goosebumps on my upper arms. I was confused, "Why are we getting in the car if there isn't a hunt?"

"You will see...Now get dressed. I already packed your shit." Dean was excited and I was now curious. I dressed and walked out, Sam was sitting on the hood, rubbing his eyes. Apparently Dean hadn't given him the chance to sleep.

"Get in!" Dean hopped behind the wheel. Sam rolled his eyes at me, "Would you control your boyfriend please?"

"He was your brother before he was my boyfriend."

Sam chuckled, "Well I get backseat...I just got back and Dean…"

Dean honked the horn, motioning us to get in. _Fine then. Jeez_. I climbed in and curled my legs underneath me as Dean pulled out of the lot, heading north into the incoming stormy weather.

"Seriously Dean...Where are we going?"

"Vacation."

Sam was sprawling in the back, yawning "What?"

Dean nodded, slamming one of his Metallica tapes into the radio, "We deserve a couple days. The weather is supposed to be shitty five hundred miles in any direction for the next week...So I figured we could go to the middle of nowhere and chill out."

Sam groaned. I grinned, "So we aren't doing anything for the next few days? No hunting?"

"No nothing...I already confiscated both of your laptops. I reserved two rooms at a casino hotel, I grabbed cash from our box. Three days. Three days of no hunting. No research. No cases."

"How far?"

Dean reached over and grabbed my hand, "Two hours."

Honestly, I hated casino gambling but I didn't give a shit. After months of constant hunting, I would have appreciated one day. Three days away sounded like heaven, "You do realize all we are going to end up doing is laying around in our underwear sleeping, right?"

Dean smiled, squeezing my hand, "Baby...I hope we do a hell of a lot more than sleep."

I shook my head, blushing. Sam made gagging noises, "You two do realize I'm still awake...Way too much information."

"Well nobody is making you listen." Dean replied. Dean was never shy about our relationship like I was, and I had noticed it more over the last few weeks. When we were at the bar, his arm was usually snaked around my waist. Walking down the street, his hand would inevitably find the small of my back. In the car; his fingers intertwined with mine. I scooted over and pressed my lips against the corner of his jaw. His breath turned erratic instantly. I chuckled, "Are you serious? That bad?"

"Oh hell yes...Always for you." Dean hissed, glancing quickly at me and then back to the road; pushing the gas pedal closer to the floor. I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder, Dean's arm around mine. I stayed up for awhile, but about halfway through the cassette I turned my face against him. Dozing, my nose filling with leather, whiskey, and old spice. Listening to Dean hum along to the radio.

* * *

Day one in the hotel had been exciting. Sam had disappeared, Dean and I had played poker and black jack for a long time before we hit up the buffet. I ate a lot, but Dean had actually gotten a warning about how much he ate and was told if he didn't control himself we wouldn't be welcomed back. I think it was more or less because he took two whole pies off the rack before the workers had the chance to cut them up. It was mid-afternoon day two and we hadn't made it out of the room since we came back last night. Dean rapped on the bathroom door, "Hey...Food is here. Hurry up!"

"Give me a minute." I was getting out of the shower, throwing on the first shirt and underwear that I found in the steamy bathroom. My hair soaked through the shoulders of the fabric. Dean had his back to me, throwing the plates onto the bed so we could eat. I sat on the cleanish sheets.

"Is that my shirt?" Dean asked, pulling on the fabric. I looked down and saw the AC/DC on the chest, "Whoops."

Dean tossed me a bottle of tea, "What if I want it back?"

"You can take it back later." I met his eyes, winked, and raised an eyebrow. He scoffed and shook his head, smiling, "Baby, you are gonna kill me...My heart is gonna give out."

I laughed, trying not to choke on my burger, "I could think of a lot worse ways to go."

The mattress dipped suddenly, and I almost fell backwards, "Shit...Dean."

Dean's lips found the base of my neck, arms wrapping around my waist, "Baby…"

I turned so our foreheads touched, "Dean...eat your food first, okay? You paid a freaking fortune for that damn burger and we skipped breakfast."

He kissed me quickly, taking my bottom lip between his teeth, pulling, before speaking low, "Jen are you lecturing me?"

I smiled like an idiot, "Do you need lectured?"

His hand sneaked up under the shirt as he leaned over and grabbed his plate with the other. I could feel my heart skipping. Dammit. I don't know what it was; if it was just being here, it was probably just not running for our lives. But I could not get enough of Dean, could not possibly be close enough to him.

"Well look who isn't eating now." Dean teased. _Well yeah, because now I'm just trying to remember how to breathe asshole_. As he reached for a fry, his fingertips brushed over my thigh. I smacked him lightly, "Dean Winchester! I'm gonna be the death of you because I'm gonna murder you."

"You're such a tease Jen." Dean chuckled, face pushing against my neck again.

"I'm dead serious. Food first, sex later."

He pulled me back against his body and whispered, "Or I could just eat you..."

I smacked him again, "Dean! You and your pervy ass…"

"You love it and you know it." He jabbed his thumbs lightly under my ribs and I squirmed, giggling. Dean just held me tighter. I wriggled free, turning and kneeled. Taking his face between my hands, staring into those bright green eyes that were full of mischief, "No Dean. I love you...Everything else is just bonus."

Dean sighed, searching my face, a smile creeping slowly, "Oh, we definitely aren't eating now."

I squealed, surprised by how quickly he flipped me underneath him. I heard one of the plates break on the floor, "Dean…"

"Don't worry about it baby." He kissed me, starting painfully slow. Eventually he pulled away, stroking my cheek, staring at me for a long time. As he stared the redness crept up in my cheeks, I began to feel way too aware of myself. I smacked his chest lightly, "I have told you before to knock that off."

Dean smiled, "Why? You're beautiful."

I rolled my eyes and he laughed, kissing my cheek, then to my jaw and back to my ear, "For the record Jen, I love you too…" His lips brushed my against my neck, hand cupping my cheek, "So much baby."

I moaned, pushing against him, flipping him over. Dean had _that_ stupid ass grin as I leaned down to kiss him. When I rocked back up, Dean ran his hand over my side, down to my hips, pulling on the t-shirt, "If this is what happens when you wear my clothes...You can wear whatever you want."

My hands trailed from his arms to his hands, his fingers intertwining with mine. Dean sat up and I slid into his lap, wrapping my legs around his back. Dean smirked and shook his head slowly before bending to kiss the crook of my neck. My heart was thumping through my chest and Dean's breath kept hitching. His hands ran up my back, pulling me against him. I reached between us, trying to get his shirt off, Dean laughed, "You are so impatient."

I cocked my eyebrow, "And that's a bad thing?"

His hands held my face, "Baby we got two more nights before check out and I am planning on spending every single second in here with you."

I blushed, again, "You are so fucking cheesy."

He pressed his lips against mine quickly, mumbling, "Only with you."

I searched his eyes. God did I love him. I couldn't imagine life without him now. Everything was so much fun, so much easier with him around.

"Jen?" Dean's voice was gentle. I must have paused a little longer than I thought, "Hmm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Dean smirked, "If it's nothing, why are you smiling like an idiot?"

"Because of you." I whispered. Dean's lips were on mine again and his hips jerked up against me. Time stopped as I spun out of control, until a knock on the door made me squeak and jump.

"Dean! Jen!" It was Sam, and his voice terrified me. Making my spine shiver. Dean's hands went to my waist to lift me off, but I was already scrambling for the door, which I swung open, "Sam?"

Sam was leaning against the wall, one hand on his forehead, eyes squeezed shut. Dean moved past me, grabbing Sam, "Hey, man...Sam?"

He drug Sam into the room, trying to sit him down in a chair, "I'm okay I think...I had another vision... This one really hurts."

I poured a shot and handed it to him, "Here."

Sam took a swig and choked. It was cheap vodka and that shit burns on the way down. Sam glanced around, squinting, "Could you close that curtain?"

Dean reached over and closed it, "Thanks man...Holy shit."

Sam rubbed his head, then his eyes. I sat down, "You said vision but are you sure you didn't just go on a really shitty bender?"

Sam glared at me, I shrugged. He scoffed, "Yeah it was a vision."

Dean pulled a chair around, sitting in it backwards, "Alright, give us the low down."

Sam nodded, rubbing his eyes, "We were in this office, I think it might have been a doctor's office...And Dean, you loaded your gun, Jen locked a door. You guys go into the exam room where there are some people. A...a doc, a guy, and another person tied to a chair...The guys tied to the chair starts begging, Jen is beating the shit out of him, yelling...The doc and the other guy are scared."

Me and Dean glanced at each other, "Keep going Sam."

"Dean, you pull up the gun, say you don't have a choice. Then…" Sam swallowed hard, "You double tap him."

I sigh, "Alrighty then...Do you know where?"

Same looks at me, surprised, "Alrighty then? Are you kidding me?"

"What?"

"I just said Dean smoked someone, didn't blink. And you are okay with that?"

I shrugged, "Par for the course I guess...I'm sure he has a reason."

Sam shook his head. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, "There was this poster… It was for Crater Lake and the doc's office said Rivergrove...I think. Where is my laptop at Dean?"

Dean got up and rummaged through the closet, coming back with a bag, "Here...Both of yours are in there."

Sam unzipped it and grabbed out his laptop, opening it, "Give me like fifteen minutes...We should get going."

"Is there anything else Sam?" Dean asked, "Did we try to do anything?"

Sam shook his head, "No. You were sure something was inside of him."

"And I just ventilated him? Was he possessed?"

Sam shrugged, "I don't know man...Here we go...I got directions, let's get outta here."

Looks like we were only getting half our vacation.

* * *

When we pulled into Rivergrove, Oregon it was a quaint little town. People were going about their daily lives. There was nothing particularly interesting or unique about this place. Ordinary people going about their ordinary lives. But for some reason, the second we passed the town line, I had this feeling in my gut that I couldn't shake. The kind that I only got when shit was going to hit the fan, when I was gearing up for a fight. We were cruising up main street when Sam pointed, "That man...He was there, in my vision."

Sam was pointing to a black man, probably in his mid-fifties, that was sitting on a porch, cleaning a rifle. Dean put the car in park, "Well, let's go talk to him."

Dean walked a little ahead of us up the walkway, "Morning."

The man looked up, pausing mid motion, "Good morning. Can I help you?"

Dean nodded, and pulled out a badge, "Yeah...Uh, Billy Gibbons... U.S. Marshal."

The man set down the rifle, "What's this about?"

I stepped up, "We were hoping you could help us find someone."

Sam cleared his throat, "Um...A young man, early twenties. He would have a, a thin scar right below his hairline." Sam pointed to his forehead, tracing where the scar would be.

He sat back further, clearly closing us out, suspicious, "What'd he do?"

Sam swallowed, composing himself, "Well, nothing. We're actually looking for someone else, but we think this young man could help…"

"Yeah, he's not in any kind of trouble or anything; well, not yet..." Dean cut his brother off, "I think maybe you know who he is . . . Master Sergeant...My dad was in the Corps, he was a Corporal."

I noticed the tattoo on the guys forearm. It was a nice catch and a lucky break for us, because the man smiled, "What company?"

Dean smiled and did a half nod, "Echo-2-1."

The guy sighed, "Duane Tanner's got a scar like that. But I know him. Good kid, keeps his nose clean. He lives up Aspen Way with his family."

I nodded, "Thank you sir."

We turned back down the walkway and walked through town. There was no hurry to find this kid right away and we were all hungry. Suddenly Sam grabbed my shoulder, "Look."

Sam was pointing to a telephone pole, "What Sam?"

He touched a carving on the pole. Scratched into it was one word, Croatoan. Dean was looking over my shoulder, "Croatoan? What the hell is that?"

I could barely breath. That funny feeling in my stomach had moved to a pit, "We need to get the fuck outta here...That's what."

"Jen?" Dean was confused. I looked between them, "We need to be as far away from here as possible."

"What are you talk...Sam, what the hell is she talking about?"

Sam was absently tracing the carvings with his fingers, "Roanoke? Lost colony? Ring a bell? Dean, did you pay any attention in history class?"

Dean shoved his hands in his pockets, "Yeah! Shots heard 'round the world, How bills becomes a laws . . ."

Sam rolled his eyes and sighed, "That's not school, that's Schoolhouse Rock."

"Whatever." Dean shrugged and kept walking down the road. I trotted to catch up, "Dean...Roanoke was one of the first English colonies. Anyways...One day it just disappears, everyone in the town gone. Nobody knows why."

Dean snapped his fingers, "Oh yeah, yeah, I do remember that. The only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree. Croatoan. Do you think that's what's happening here?"

I nodded, "I have been feeling like shit since we got here. The last time I felt like this was when we ran into yellow eyes."

"Whatever I saw in my head, it sure wasn't good. But what do you think could do that?" Sam asked. Dean shrugged, "Well, I mean, all of your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow, so . . ."

"So we need to get the hell outta Dodge." I say quietly. Hoping that they would listen to reason. We had absolutely no clue what we were up against. But they ignored my protests, "Maybe we should get help? Bobby? Ellen?"

Dean nodded, pulling out his phone, "Yeah… I don't have a signal."

I took my phone from my pocket. I didn't have one either. Fuck, fuck, and fuck. Dean was listening on a nearby payphone, and shook his head. I sighed, "Guys...There is a reason the phones are out. I'm pretty damn sure it isn't a good one."

Dean shoved his hands in his pockets, scanning the street, "I'll tell you one thing. If I was gonna massacre a town, that'd be my first step."

I rolled my eyes, "This is just great…I take it we are staying."

Sam chuckled, "Yeah...Why don't we head over to the Tanner's...See if we can find Duane."

By the time the Impala was parked in front of the Tanner's it was late afternoon. The place was old, fairly tacky and cheesy. The shutters were painted green on the log cabin. Freaking Oregon man. Dean trotted up the stairs and knocked on the door. After a moment a teenage boy opens the door with a smile, "Yeah? Can I help you?"

Dean dug in his jacket and pulled out his fake badge, "We're looking for Duane Tanner, heard that he lives here."

The kid nodded, "Yep. He is my brother.

"Can we talk to him?" Dean asked.

"No...He isn't here right now."

Wow. Thanks kid, don't be forthcoming or anything, "Do you know where abouts he is?"

The kid looked past Dean at me, that grin was creepy as shit, " Yeah, he went on a fishing trip up by Roslyn Lake."

The porch creaked as Sam took a step forward, "Are your parents home?"

"Yeah...They are inside." An older guy appears, pushing the kid back, opening the door a little wider, "Jake? Who is it?"

Dean cleared his throat, "Hi, U.S. Marshals, sir, we're looking for your son Duane."

Mr. Tanner straight up gave me the heeby-jeebies, "Wh-why? He's not in trouble, is he?"

I tried my best to force a small smile, "No sir, we just think he might be able to help us out. Do you know when he will be back?"

"I'm not sure."

"Would your wife know?"

"No. I don't know, she's not here right now."

I looked at Dean quickly, "Jake just said she was here."

Jake looked up at his father and then back at me, "Did I?"

"She's getting groceries. So, when Duane gets back, there's a number where he can get a hold of you?"

Sam handed them a phone number, "We will check again later. Thank you for your time."

They slammed the door shut as we walked away. At the bottom step Dean stopped, "That was fucking creepy, right? A little too Stepford?"

"What's Stepford?" I asked, Dean rolled his eyes, "You gotta get out more...We will watch it sometime."

Sam was already creeping around the outside and I scurried to catch up.

"Sam!..." I hissed and pointed to a window that I could barely see through. An older lady was tied and gagged to dining room chair, she was struggling and crying. Dean tapped my shoulder and we busted for the door we had just come from. Dean reeled and kicked it in. We rush in, guns up. Mr. Tanner has a bloody hand on her shoulder, then screams, coming at us with a knife. I squeeze off a round at the same time Dean does. Tanner drops like a sack of shit. A window shatters. Jake had jumped out, Sam was standing in the window, gun drawn. Why the hell didn't he shoot?

I rush over to the lady. She is crying, but other than the cut on her shoulder, she seemed intact. Taking out my knife I untied her, "She is gonna need stitches."

Dean was right beside me, undoing the lady's gag, "What is your name?"

"Be-Beverly...What the hell? You just shot my…" She was sobbing uncontrollably now. I pushed her shoulders back, "Whoa, easy there Beverly. I'm Jen, you are gonna be okay. We are going to get you to the hospital...Can you tell me what happened."

"My...My husband and Jake, they….They just attacked me, tied me to a chair. Then he c-cut me."

"Okay…." I forced an encouraging smile, "Let's get you some help."

I help her out to the Impala. Dean is right behind us with the body of Mr. Tanner, who he tosses in the trunk. I put Beverly in the front seat, hoping she holds it together until we can get her in to see a doctor.

The short ride there was filled with Beverly crying. Sam helps her inside. Dean opens up the trunk again, "Hey Jen…"

"On it." He lifted Mr. Tanner's body out with a grunt. I slammed the trunk shut and then jogged ahead to get the door. By the time we got in there Sam and Beverly were out of sight. A blonde woman in a white coat looks between us, "Is that…?"

Dean nods, "Mr. Tanner?"

"Was he attacked too?"

I scoffed, "Not so much. He did most of the attacking and that's how he ended up shot."

"Oh." She looked between us, "I'm Dr. Lee, you can put the body back in exam room two...Beverly is in one."

after Dean ditched the body on the exam table, we joined them in the room as Dr. Lee was stitching up Beverly who was running through what happened again.

"Wait, you said Jake helped him? Your son Jake?" Dr. Lee was putting gauze over her wound.

"They beat me. Tied me up."

There was a nurse in the room as well, "I don't believe it."

"Pam shush... Beverly, do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?"

"No, of course not. I don't know why. One minute they were my husband and my son. And the next, they had the devil in them. What the hell happened to them?"

Dean's voice made me jump, "We gotta talk."

The three of us stepped out into the hall, "Those guys were fucked up."

I shrugged, "If it was possession he wouldn't have stopped...What do you two think?"

Sam shifted, "I was thinking mass possession or multiple demons, but you are right and I didn't see any black smoke if he would have smoked out."

"But what if it is?" Dean rubbed his face, "The visions always have something to do with demons...If it is a possession there could be more. I mean, God knows how many, it could be like a friggin' Shriner convention."

I sighed, "Fan-fucking-tastic...Bastards are trying to wipe out the town from the inside. That is how I would do it."

"Well, whatever. Something turned him into a monster. And you know Sam, if you woulda taken out the other one there'd be one less to worry about."

"I'm sorry, all right? I hesitated, Dean, it was a kid!" Sam tried to keep his voice down.

Dean threw up his hands, "No, it was an "it". Not the best time for a bleeding heart, Sam."

I glanced between them, "Guys we don't have time for what ifs...This could be some serious shit. What happened happened...Can't do a damn thing about it now."

I heard clicks on the tile and turn to see Dr. Lee coming out of the exam room, "What the hell happened out there?"

Dean swallowed, "We don't know."

She turned on him, "Yeah? Well, you just killed my next door neighbor."

"We didn't have a choice." Dean was defensive. I was just as much to blame, but that wasn't going to help the situation.

Dr. Lee sighed, "Maybe so, but we need the county Sheriff. I need the coroner...The phones are down."

Sam crossed his arms, "Yeah we know."

"I don't understand what is happening." She stared off into space.

Dean shrugged, "How far is it to the next town?"

"It's about forty miles down to Sidewinder."

"Alright." He nodded and she walked back to the exam room to check on Beverly. Dean glanced down at me, "You up for a road trip?"

"Do you think I should stay here and help?"

He shook his head, "No Sam has got it...We know what the situation is like in here, we don't know what is out there. I could use the backup."

"Okay."

Sam nodded in agreement, "I will grab a couple guns from the car, you guys just go get some help."

Dean pushed the Impala over the blacktop. About ten minutes out there was a car on the side of the road, he pulled off behind it, "Let's see if there is anyone here."

We hopped out and he left the engine running. I pulled my gun, moving up beside the car, looking in the window, "Oh my god."

I dropped my arm and covered my mouth. The windows were broken out, shards of glass sticking out of the seats. Blood pooled on the driver's seat. In the back was a carseat, blood splashed over the back window and the seat was shredded. It was straight up fucking horrific. These whatever they were were majorly fucked up. Dean's arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me back, "Jen...C'mon."

"Dean…" I couldn't stop staring.

"I know baby, let's get the hell out of here." After a moment I turned back to the Impala, climbing in the front, "What the hell is going on Dean?"

The tires screeched, "We will figure it out, just like we always do."

Another fifteen miles passed under the tires, the road was windy and and narrow. Before a bend there was a "Bridge Ahead" sign, and as the other side came into view, cars blocked it. Dean slammed the breaks. There were a dozen or so people standing before the barricade, armed with guns. Jake Tanner was among them.

"Shit." I breathed. There was no way to get past the cars unless we moved them. This bridge was the only way in or out of Rivergrove. _Bang_. I jump, reaching back for my gun. There is a man beside Dean that leans over to the open window, "Sorry. Road's closed."

Dean nods, "Yeah, I can see that. What's up?"

"Quarantine."

Dean looked over him, debating. "Quarantine? What is it?

"Don't know. Something going around out there."

We needed to get the fuck out of here. I squeaked, impatient, nervous. This was a lot of people with guns, and they were probably jacked up on whatever the freak juice was. Dean squeezed my knee, I met his eyes before he turned back to the guy, "Uh-huh. Who told you that?"

"County Sheriff."

"Is he here?" Dean asked, trying to buy us some time.

"No. He called. Say, why don't you two get out of the car and we'll talk a little?"

No way in hell. Dean laughs nervously, "Well, you are a handsome devil, but I don't swing that way, sorry."

"I'd sure appreciate it if you got out of the car, just for a quick minute."

Dean's hand moves to the shifter, glancing at me. I nodded, "Yeah, I'll bet you would."

Dean flips it in reverse, flooring it. The guy holds on to Dean's jacket. The dozen townspeople let rounds fly. I pull up my gun. I didn't want to shoot, Dean would be deaf for a couple days and it would burn his face at this range. I move, pistol whipping the guy as Dean flings the car around and the guy lets go. Losing my balance I end up awkwardly against the driver's door and halfway over Dean's lap. As he drove I struggled against the curves to scoot back, accidentally elbowing him in the groin, "Uff...Jesus Jen."

He grimaced, "Sorry...Are you okay?"

"Yeah...That fucker had a hell of a grip. Good call on not shooting him."

"Figured you needed your hearing."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Dean. Let's just get back to that damn clinic, make sure they are all okay."

As we pull into town Dean sighs, "What could be doing this shit? Turning all these people crazy?"

"Nothing I have ever heard of. This is a new level of crazy...Holy shit!"

Dean slams the breaks, "Fuck."

The guy we had met when we first got to town, that had pointed us to the Tanner's, was holding a rifle in the middle of the road, "Hands where I can see 'em!"

Dean nodded, "Okay!"

We both raised our hands, "Get out of the car! Out of the car!"

I pulled the handle at the same time as Dean, we both slid out. As I stood up all the way I whipped my gun out, "Alright asshole, put it down!"

Dean had his gun pulled as well. The guy kept his rifle trained on Dean, "Lower it now!"

"Put it down!"

I sidestepped, "You first."

"Are you two one of 'em?"

I laughed, "No...You?"

He trained the gun onto me, "No!"

"You could be lying!" Dean yelled, the guy switched back to him, "So could you!"

I had enough, "Listen jackass, we can do this all fucking day. We out number you, let's just take it easy before someone gets hurt."

He relaxes back a bit, "What's going on with everybody?"

Dean uncocked his gun, "I don't know."

"My neighbor . . . Mr. Rogers, he…"

Dean chuckled, "You've got a neighbor named Mr. Rogers?"

"Not anymore...He came at me with a hatchet. I put him down. He's not the only one, I mean, it's happening to everyone." He was confused, edgy. This was a lot for someone who wasn't used to crazy.

"We are heading over to the Doc's place, there's still some people left." Dean said.

"No... no way. I'm getting the hell out."

I scoffed, "Yeah...Good luck with that. They have the bridge shut down. So, you can come with us. Or you can stay out here and get attacked. Your choice."

"I don't believe you!"

"Well then don't...No sweat off my back, let's go Dean."

The guy hesitated for a moment. Then he walks slowly towards the passenger's side of the car. I hop in the back, figuring if he makes a move I can waste him. Dean settles in and keeps his gun pointed at the gu. The guy get's in, gun drawn. Dean shifts the Impala into drive, "Well this is going to be relaxing."

When we got to the clinic, Dean pounded on the door, "Sammy? Open up!"

Chains clinked, and the doors opened. We let the guy, Mark, in before us. He headed back to the exam rooms. Sam ushered us into a corner, "What the hell is going on out there?"

I shrugged, "Sam I got nothing. Something is turning these people bat shit crazy."

"Did you guys make it to a phone"

I felt Dean move behind me, standing close enough that only Sam and I could hear, "No. They have the bridge blocked. The bastards are trapping us here with no escape… Did you find out what we are dealing with?"

Sam swallowed hard, looking between me and Dean, "Doc thinks it is a virus."

Fantastic, "Well what do you think Sam?"

"I think she's right."

I started laughing, but stopped at his serious expression, "For real?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah. And I think the infected are trying to infect others with blood-to-blood contact. Oh, but it gets better. The uh, the virus? Leaves traces of sulfur in the blood."

"A demonic virus?" Dean hissed.

Sam shifted, glancing around the room, "Yeah, more like demonic germ warfare. At least it explains why I've been having visions."

I rubbed my eyes, "Fucking-ay. Why do they keep getting more creative. Why can't they just stick with the classics...Possession, mayhem, not biblical fucking plagues."

"About that…", Sam rummaged through his jacket, "I was looking through Dad's journal and I found something about the Roanoke colony...Dad always had a theory about Croatoan. He thought it was a demon's name. Sometimes known as Resheph. A demon of plague and pestilence."

Dean threw up his hands, "Well, that, that's terrific. Why here, why now?"

There was no reason, "I mean isn't this kinda small time. It isn't like this is New York, LA, or even Chicago. This is a town of what? Two or three thousand?...In the big picture, t is pretty insignificant."

Sam shrugged, "I have no idea. But who knows how far this thing can spread? We gotta get out of here, we gotta warn people."

Stuff crashes to the floor in the next room, I swing around and Mark is yelling, "They have one in here!"

Son of a bitch! I followed the boys to the exam room. Dean slams the door open, "What do you mean?"

Sam paused, blocking my view, "The wife, Beverly, she was infected. Right after you guys left she attacked us."

I could hear Mark as I pushed my way into the room, "We've gotta take care of this. We can't just leave her in there. My neighbors, they were strong. The longer we wait, the stronger she'll get."

Dean looks between me and Sam as he pulls his gun out of the back of his pants, checking that it's loaded. The nurse stretches from the corner, ""You can't do that. You can't just kill Beverly Tanner."

I wasn't seeing another option here. Her or us? Us every freaking time. Sam, of course, was being a little more logical. Him and the doc arguing about possible options. I watched Dean, his jaw was set. He had already made his decision. It sucked ass but it needed to be done. I moved for the door, vaguely hearing the protests behind me, pulling my own gun. Beverly was curled up in the corner, looking up at me, crying.

"Please...I-I-It isn't me."

Dean pushed in behind, gun raised. Beverly looked beyond us, "Mark, what are you doing? Mark, it's, it's them! They locked me in-"

I pulled the trigger twice, one chest, one head. There was no sense in listening to the bullshit. If Sam was sure, that was good enough for me. There was no sense in letting everyone that knew her get a guilty conscience. If we made it through this, I would sleep at night. Turning away from the body I ran into Dean. I looked up, not being able to read his expression as his eyes searched my face. I cocked my eyebrow and he nodded, "Alright then."

He moved, locking the door after me, I started barking orders, "Start closing the blinds, lock everything up. We need to hole up and be ready."

After everything was in order I sat on a table against a wall with no windows, a clear view of the room door and the clinic doors. My gun sat on the table next to me, fully loaded. Everyone was quiet, on edge, nervous. Except for me, focused, cool. I am in my element. Yeah, I am scared that we won't make it out, I'm not a robot, but fear isn't useful, it won't get us out of this. So I bury it deep in the back of my mind. None of this was bothering me. What was bothering me is this feeling that I couldn't shake, like someone was watching me. Like there was a fox in the hen house. And as the minutes click by, the hairs on my arms and neck stand higher. Dean crosses the room, leaning back on the table beside me, "We can't just stay here."

"I know...But we are out of options Dean." I glance up at him and he looks down at me.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Because you just smoked a person mid sentence…"

"Dean, it wasn't a person anymore. Plus I thought we were here because you smoke a person, not me." I gave him a half hearted smile and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, giving it a squeeze, "This is one hell of a way to top off our vacation, huh?"

"We never get a vacation...It was nice to pretend for a while though."

"Yeah…" He was cut off when Sam came over, "What's the plan?"

I shrugged, "I got no fucking clue...How about you boy wonder?"

"Shut-up Jen…" He smirked, but it fell quickly, "I mean we can't get out to the car, they are surrounding the place. Even if we could, there is no way out of town...Dammit! We've gotta get out of here, get to the Roadhouse? Somewhere. Let people know what's coming."

Mark spoke up, "Well, I'm not sure we've got a choice. Lots of folks up here are good with rifles...Even with all your hardware we're, we're easy targets. So unless you've got some explosives?"

I chuckled, shaking my head, "Sorry. Fresh out."

Sam pointed up to the shelves, "We don't have any, but we could make some."

I glance behind at the assortment of chemicals. Potassium chloride, sodium phosphate, hydrochloric acid, a couple of others? Sure, what the hell? I could use a challenge.

A pounding on the door made everybody jump. It was followed by desperate yells. MArk takes off to the front door, checking behind the blinds, "It's Duane Tanner."

"Don't…" But before I could get out the warning, Mark was unchaining the door. A scraggly twenty-something year old with a scar above his eye stumbled through the door. The guy that Dean was going to waste. Mother fuck, because this night could get worse. Deuane grips onto Mark's sleeve, trying to catch his breath, "Thank god...I thought I was a gonner. What the hell is happening out there?"

Mark catches Duane up on the night's events, I turn back o Sam and Dean, "That is the guy that Dean off, isn't it?"

Sam nods. I sigh, "We gotta get out of here, soon."

Dean was taken aback, "I'm not going to just waste him until we know for sure Jen…"

"That's not it Dean. This is starting to get out of control."

Dean scoffs, "And it wasn't out of hand six hours ago?"

I grab his sleeve, pulling him into the next room, Sam straggling behind, "Something is gonna happen."

"Calm down Jen."

"You don't understand Dean...It is getting worse."

He grabbed my shoulders, "What the hell are you talking about?"

I looked past him, making sure no one was listening to the three of us, "You remember how I told you I felt when Yellow eyes was possessing John."

Dean grimaced and I took it as a yes and continued, "How it built all night and I couldn't shake it? This is the same goddamn thing."

"But he isn't here and I am not in any danger. Maybe your radar is out of whack." He joked.

"Dean, unless something changes, we are going to die here."

"Listen, you can't know that Jen."

"Dean…"

"No. Your turn to listen...I am not about to die here, and I am sure as hell not going to let anything happen to you, or to Sam...Okay?"

I clenched my jaw. He ran his thumb along my cheek quickly before giving an encouraging smile, "Okay...But either way, we need to get the hell outta Dodge."

"Agreed...Why don't you put that crazy ass brain to some use and go…"

"Hey!" Mark yelled from the other room. We rushed out and he had Duane, who was pleading, at gunpoint, "I swear...On a fishing trip up by Roslyn. I came back this afternoon. I . . . I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house by people we know! They started cutting him with knives! I ran, I've been hiding in the woods ever since. Has anybody seen my mom and dad?"

Dean leaned over my shoulder, "Awkward."

I smacked his chest, Mark still had the gun up, "He is bleeding. Leg."

I looked down and sure as shit the guy's jeans were soaked with blood. I reached around and grabbed my gun. Dean spoke from behind me, "Where'd you get that?"

Duane looked down, examining the mess, "I was running, I must have tripped."

"Tie him up, there's rope in there." Dean pointed to the room we had just come from and Mark took off. Duane went to move and I cocked the hammer, "Back the hell up...Doc!"

I heard Dr. Lee's footsteps, "Let's get him in the exam room and you can run through his blood work...Walk asshole."

Duane hesitated but followed back where the doctor had hurried into the exam room. Once he got in I saw the fight or flight response cross his face for a moment. Dean pulled his gun, "Sit down!"

Duane sat and Mark began tying him up. Dean was giving Duane the fourth degree, trying to figure out whether or not he was infected. Right now, that seemed pretty probable. Dr. Lee had no idea how to tell if he was infected until the virus incubated. We had two options: shot him know and save us the trouble, or leave him tied up and wait.

"Jen!" Sam snapped his fingers, I hadn't even realized he was talking to me, "Huh?"

"I need to talk to you and Dean. Now." Dean lets me through the door first and we follow Sam into another exam room. Sam runs his hands through his hair, "This is my vision, Dean. It's happening."

Dean sighed, leaning back against a table, "Yeah, I figured."

"You can't kill him, all right? Not yet. We don't know if he's infected or not."

Dean shook his head, "Well, I think we're pretty damn sure. Guy shows up out of nowhere, he's got a cut on his leg, his whole family's infected?"

"All right, then we should keep him tied up, and we should wait and see." Sam replied. I wasn't sure either way, "What if he totally hulks out and is infected. He could infect anyone in here."

Sam scoffed, "Of course you are going to side with him."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snarl.

"Aren't you capable of making your own decisions?...I mean, don't you have a freaking conscious? You smoked that lady earlier and didn't blink."

"I did what needed to be done Sam! Sorry you weren't able to sack up and take care of it." I was kinda pissed off. And Sam yelled back, "It is supposed to be a hard decision. That's the whole point."

I went to get into Sam's face but Dean grabbed my shoulder, "What does that buy us Sam?"

Sam scoffed, throwing his hands in the air, "A clear conscience, for one!"

Dean turns for the door, "Well, it's too late for that."

Sam rushed over, spinning Dean around, "What the hell's happened to you?...You might kill an innocent man, and you don't even care! You don't act like yourself anymore, Dean. Hell, you know what? You're acting like one of those things out there."

Okay, here is the thing. Sam wasn't wrong. I will never ever tell him that he was right, but he was. Dean had been a little erratic since John died, even more so since the crossroads case. But now wasn't the time to sit here with our thumbs up our asses.

Dean shoved Sam back, knocking me over and I heard the lock click. I rushed to the door, banging my shoulder against it, "Son of a bitch!...Dean Winchester, I am going to kick your fucking ass!"

Sam pulled me out of the way slamming his body against the door, rapping on it, "Dean! Dean, don't do this! Open the damn door! Please!"

But Dean was already gone.

"Fuck." I hissed, searching around the room. I grabbed a chair, "Sam! Move!"

Just as I was about to throw it through the window to the ahllay, the lock clicked. I dropped the chair, drawing my gun, uncertain. Dean swung the door in, standing in the doorway. His eyes re looking between us. He hadn't done it. The brothers shared a look and Sam nodded. Dean rubbed the back of his neck "Ah, let's get those chemicals so we can start butting the explosives together."

Hours passed. We were all silent, passing each bottle down the line, working like a well oiled machine. Dean wouldn't meet my eyes he was distant. I tried not to let it bother me. Dr. Lee's voice in the doorway startled me, "It's been over four hours. Duane's blood is still clean. I don't think he's infected. I'd like to untie him, if that's all right."

Sam nodded, "Yeah."

Dean is suddenly concentrating on the measurements a little too hard. Sam sighs, You know I'm gonna ask you why."

Dean screwed the lid on, "Yeah, I know?"

"So why?"

Dean cleared his throat, "We need more alcohol."

Sam shakes his head, leaving the room. Dean watches him leave and then meets my eyes and I cok an eyebrow. Dean scoffs, "Not you too."

I chuckle, "You don't have to tell me...I just would have done it so I wanted to know what stopped you."

Dean stopped mid-pour, "Would you have?"

I shrugged, "An ounce of prevention…"

"I don't believe you."

"I don't know...I wasn't there."

There is a crashing from the supply closet.

"Sam!?" Dan yells, making sure his brother is alright. There is no answer. Dean rushes out of the room, more crashing and a scream.

"Shit." The door is locked, and that nurse has Sam pinned down, chest sliced open. Mark runs around the corner in time to see the nurse press her bloody hand on Sam's chest. Dean broke the handle, double tapping the nurse in the back. The body rolls off of Sam ho looks stunned. Sam reaches a hand to Dean, who goes to take it but Mark bats it away, "No man. He is one of them."

Sam pulls his hand back, scooting across the floor away from us. Blood to blood contact. Sam was infected. Goddamnit. I head over to Sam and feel a hand pull me back. I backhand Mark, who is stunned. I reach my hand down, "C'mon Sam."

"Get away from me." He curls up against the wall. I roll my eyes, "Listen, get your gigantor ass off the ground. You got three good hours left."

"Jen."

I shook my head, "Stop with the pity party. Get off your ass and do something...Dean, help me out."

Dean helped me haul Sam to his feet. Mar was bitching, but I didn't give a shit. We just got Sam to the exam room and made him sit on a table.

"Grab some bandages Jen." Dean was looking at the cut on Sam's chest, I found some gauze and tape in a drawer and handed it to him along with some rubbing alcohol. Dean went to work, cleaning it out and patching Sam up. I stood back, keeping a wary eye on Mark and Duane in the doorway. Ready to drop them if they were stupid enough to make a move. Sam protested a few times, pushing Dean away. Eventually resigning to the fact that Dean was going to do what he wanted. As soon as Dean was done, he began pacing furiously, "Doc!...Doc! Check his wound, would you?"

Mark blocked Dr. Lee from entering the room, "What's she need to examine him for? You saw what happened."

The doctor pushed his arm away, directing her attention to Sam, "Did her blood actually enter your wound?"

Mark scoffed, "Come on, of course it did!"

Dean turned on him, eyes blazing, "We don't know that for sure."

Duane stepped up, "We can't take a chance...You know what we have to do."

I stepped up beside Dean, standing between them and Sam, "No one is killing anyone."

Mark took another step forward, calculating his chances of getting through, "C'mon man, you know what he will turn into."

"Nobody's shooting my brother!" Dean yells.

Duane crosses his arms, "He isn't gonna be your brother much longer. You were going to shoot me!"

Dean turned, pointing his finger, "You don't shut your pie-hole, I still might!"

Duane moved forward and I drew my gun, "Give me a reason asshole."

"Dean…" Sam's voice was barely more than a whisper, "... they're right. I'm infected; just give me the gun and I'll do it myself."

"Forget it." Dean growled.

"Dean, I'm not gonna become one of those things." I glanced back and saw the tears in his eyes. Sam turned to me, "Jen? Don't let me become that, can do what needs done."

I swallowed, "I can't do that Sam."

"Dammit! Give me my gun!"

Dean shook his head, "Sam, we've still got some time,

Mark laughed, unamused, "Time for what? Look, I understand he's your brother, and I'm sorry, I am. But we gotta take care of this."

Mark pulls out his handgun, and readjust sights on him, but Dean snatches the gun from Mark, "I'm gonna say this one time... you make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground. You understand me? I mean, do I make myself clear?!"

He backs away, "Then what are we supposed to do?!"

Dean looks between them and me, debating. He pulls the keys for the Impala and tosses them to me. I feel the warm metal in my hands, close my eyes and sigh before tossing them back.

"No way in hell."

"Please Jen...You…"

"No Dean. End of discussion."

He stares me down for a moment before tossing the keys to Mark, "Get the hell out of here, that's what. Take my car. You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in there. You two go with him. You've got enough firepower to handle anything now."

Mark's brow furrowed, "What about you?"

Dean shrugs. Sam pauses before he starts pleading, "Dean, no. No. Go with them. This is your only chance!"

"You're not gonna get rid of me that easy."

Mark goes to say something but stops, Dean follows them out to lock the door behind them. Sam stares at me accusingly, "Make him leave Jen."

"I can't make Dean do anything he doesn't want to any more than you."

"He is just being stubborn."

I chuckled, "Well he wouldn't be Dean if he wasn't."

"You guys talkin' about me?" Dean comes back in the room, locking the door behind him and sitting down on a table top. It was silent for a bit until Dean shifted, "Wish we had a deck of cards, or a foosball table or something."

"Dean, don't do this. Just get the hell out of here."

"No way."

"Give me my gun, and leave." Sam snaps.

Dean rubs his face, "For the last time, Sam... No."

If Sam was going to die, Dean wasn't going to let his brother die alone. Sam slammed his hand on the table, "Fuck Dean...This is the dumbest thing you've ever done."

Dean shrugged, smirking, "Oh, I don't know about that. Remember that waitress in Tampa?"

He shudders and I roll my eyes. Sam turns to me, trying to get me to talk sense into Dean, "Jen, drag his dumb ass out of here."

"Can't do that Sam."

"Why?"

I half smiled, "Because you are my friend, and I will not leave you behind."

The desperation crosses his face, now out of sensible options, "Dean...You have Jen, you can have a life. Get the hell out of here."

Dean looked over at me, "Well she doesn't seem like she is going anywhere either."

Sam hit the table again, "Dean, I'm sick. It's over for me. It doesn't have to be for you."

"No?" Dean sat down, setting his and Sam's guns to the side.

"No, you can keep going." Sam was confused.

"Who says I want to?" Dean sighs. I remember the conversation we had had after Dean had stitched me up. This job wears on people and it sucks.

"I'm tired, Sam. I'm tired of this job, this life . . . this weight on my shoulders, man. I'm tired of it."

"So what, so you're just going to give up? You're just gonna lay down and die? Look, Dean, I know this stuff with Dad has…"

"You're wrong. It's not about Dad. I mean, part of it is, sure, but…"

"What is it about?" Before Dean can answer, there is a commotion in the hallway. I draw up, waiting for the rush of things to come through the door to rip us apart. But it goes silent, then there is a quiet knock. Dean opens the door tentatively. Dr. Lee is on the other side, "You'd better come see this."

We follow her outside, Sam even tagging along. In the cool night there is not a soul except for the six of us. Not a sound, not a light on in the town. Just nothing.

Dean's voice was low, "Doc, you wanna check Sam's blood?"

She nods hesitantly, "I guess that wouldn't be a bad idea."

By dawn the doctor had run Sam's blood more than ten times. Never once was there a trace of sulfur. She looked up from the microscope again to Sam, "Well, it's been five hours and your blood's still clean. i don't understand it but I think you dodged a bullet."

Sam shook his head, "But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. But you're just not. I mean, you compare it with the Tanner samples...What the hell?"

"What?" Sam asked."

"They are clean. No trace of the virus."

Sam and the doc kept talking when I felt strong fingers wrap around my arm. Dean pulled me out into the hallway. I leaned back against the wall and he stood in front of me, looking me up and down, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Hmm?"

He sighed, "Staying like that…"

"Don't worry about it."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Don't worry about it?"

I cocked my eyebrow, "Are we going to fight about this again?"

"No...I don't want to."

"Then what's wrong?" I asked, stroking his cheek. He leaned forward into it, pushing against me. His arms wrapped around me and he buried his face in my hair, "I almost lost both of you."

I kissed his neck, "It is going to take a lot more than a super virus to get rid of me."

"Damn it." He chuckled, joking. I lightly jabbed him in the ribs, and he laughed harder.

"Dean...Can we get out of this town now?"

"Yes...Let me go get Sam."

In less than twenty minutes we were ready to go. The doc was headed to the twon next to here, Mark and Duane were just getting the hell out. After saying goodbye Dean turned to Sam who shrugged and raised his hands, "Hey man, don't look at me. I got no clue."

Dean opened the door, "I swear, I'm gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean, why here, why now? And where the hell did everybody go? It's like they just fucking melted."

"Why was I immune?"

"Yeah. You know what? That's a good question. You know, I'm already starting to feel like this is the one that got away?" Dean slid in. I sprawled in the back, exhausted. God, had we only been here for twenty-four hours? I drifted off about the time that Dean finally found a radio station.


End file.
